Tropical Storm Franklin Path: Storm Takes Aim at Battered Haiti, Dominican Republic

Another tropical storm is heading for Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with high winds expected to hit late Tuesday.

The United States National Weather Service said Tropical Storm Franklin could bring severe conditions to the two countries through Thursday.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico could see heavy rainfall bringing flash flooding and mudslides into Thursday.

Earlier this year, Haiti faced devastating floods and mudslides which killed at least 40 people and displaced thousands more. Just days later, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit the country, killing yet more people and further destroying already damaged infrastructure. Another quake hit shortly after that.

On August 16, the U.N. said many displaced people were still sheltering in "squalid" camps, many without access to toilets.

Haiti's geography and topography make the country particularly vulnerable to tropical storms, with the most populous areas sitting in valleys susceptible to landslides and flooding, according to the World Bank's Climate Knowledge Portal.

Risks from Tropical Storm Franklin

A tropical storm warning was in effect Tuesday afternoon for:

The NOAA's monitoring Tuesday afternoon showed wind gusts of around 50 mph, which it said would not change much as the storm moved across Hispaniola.

The service predicted a storm surge on the island by as much as 1 to 3 feet, as well as heavy rainfall.

As of 2 p.m. EDT, Franklin was sitting south of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, moving at around 7 m.p.h.

The United Nations' World Food Program said it was prepared to feed around 100,000 people should the storm cause significant problems in Haiti.

Further north, in the United States, Tropical Storm Harold made landfall in Texas Tuesday, while California continued to reel from the aftermath of Hilary.

Another two potential storms are working their way across the Atlantic.