Market shoppers in Haiti prepare for Storm Elsa

Haiti residents in the capital Port au Prince were busy buying food on Saturday as Tropical Storm Elsa brushed past the Hispaniola island, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

While the storm has reduced its power, sustained winds of 70 miles per hour  (110 kilometers per hour) and heavy rain still threatened to unleash flooding and landslides.

A hurricane warning remains in effect from Port-au-Prince to the southern border with the Dominican Republic.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is on way to Cuba and will make landfall in Florida by Tuesday morning.

In Haiti, authorities used social media to alert people about the storm and urged them to evacuate if they lived near water or mountain flanks.

While some residents made modest preparations, other were still unaware.

Haiti is especially vulnerable to floods and landslides because of widespread erosion and deforestation.

Elsa was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and the earliest fifth-named storm on record.

IMAGE: AP