The newest tropical storm, Alpha, battered Haiti and the Dominican Republic with heavy rains Sunday.

About 30,000 people were evacuated from the most dangerous areas, as winds reached a maximum recorded strength of 80 km/h.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries yet, Jose Luis German, spokesman for the Dominican Republic's Emergency Operations Committee, told The Associated Press.

Still, both countries were on high alert and Haitian officials closed its airport. Haiti has already suffered 12 deaths from Hurricane Wilma.

Millions of people live in poverty there, with little to protect them from heavy storms. Much of Haiti's forests have also been devastated by storms, increasing the danger of mudslides.

About 3,000 Haitians living in the port city of Gonaives were killed last year by Hurricane Jeanne, when it was only a tropical storm.

In the Dominican Republic, officials urged residents of San Juan de Maguana to move to higher ground. The area was badly affected by Hurricane George in 1998.

Because the countries are already drenched from Wilma, officials say there is concern about flash floods.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that Alpha could bring 10 to 20 centimetres of continued rain over the island, according to AP. In some areas, it could be as much as 38 centimetres.

The Hurricane Centre added that Alpha will likely wind down after hitting the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

The Turks and Caicos islands and the southeastern Bahamas are also under a tropical storm warning.

Having used up all of the common names for the season's previous 21 storms, forecasters had to switch to the Greek alphabet for Alpha.

It's the first time the Greek alphabet has been used, and the first time since 1933 that more than 21 storms have been named. Even more could be on the way, since the season ends on Nov. 30.