BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) - Islanders depleted stores of food, water and emergency supplies yesterday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Emily advanced on the eastern Caribbean, threatening a direct hit on Barbados. Barbados' Government designated shelters across the island, while meteorologists made periodic radio broadcasts urging citizens to prepare for Emily to strike by this evening. Barbados is the eastern most Caribbean island and could be the first hit. "We have to be prepared for the worst and anything that falls short of the worst will be a relief for us all," said Attorney-General Mia Mottley. Emily was about 475 miles (765 kilometres) southeast of Barbados at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) yesterday, packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph), the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. The storm threatened to become a hurricane before hitting the Windward Islands tonight, the centre said. Hurricane warnings were issued for Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Trinidad's Government issued both a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch for the island of Tobago. The French Government put its island of Martinique on tropical storm watch. Emily trails Hurricane Dennis, which destroyed crops and killed at least 22 people in Cuba and Haiti last week. Grenada's Government opened 36 shelters, while islanders rushed to stock up on food, water, batteries, plywood and other supplies. Kathleen Bonaparte, a supermarket supervisor in the capital of St George's, said her store was nearly out of canned goods and batteries. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com