19 people have died in Haiti and 6 others are missing in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaac which swept through the region at the weekend.

Around 5,000 Haitians had to be evacuated from tent camps ahead of the storm.

Around 400,000 people still live in makeshift shelters erected after the 2010 earthquake which killed 250,000 people.

Tropical Storm Isacc is now on track to strike Louisiana late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have all declared states of emergency.

The U.S. National Hurricane Centre has issued a warning for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast.

Isaac is now heading into the warm waters of the Gulf where it could gain strength.

The regions declaring states of emergency includes New Orleans.

It was devastated when Hurricane Katrina swept over the city on August 29th 2005 killing more than 1,800 people and causing billions of dollars of damage along the coast.

Energy producers in the Gulf worked to shut down some of their operations ahead of in what could be the biggest test for U.S. energy installations since 2008 when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike disrupted offshore oil output for months.

The National Hurricane Centre said the storm was expected to eventually intensify to a Category 2 hurricane with extremely dangerous sustained winds of 105 miles per hour as it swept across the Gulf of Mexico.

It says the storm could reach hurricane force within 24 hours.