NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - People in the southeastern Bahamas were urged to brace for strong winds and rain yesterday as Tropical Storm Rita neared the island chain and threatened to become a hurricane. The storm, which forecasters said could become a Category 1 hurricane by late today, dumped 3-5 inches (76-127 millimetres) of rain as it passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands and was expected to bring nearly twice that amount to the southeast Bahamas, officials said. "The biggest risk right now is. flooding," said Jeffrey Simmons of the Bahamas Meteorological Service. "Most of the islands are basically flat so that kind of rain would cause some flooding, but nothing that would cause severe displacement of people." People in the southern islands said the winds were strong, but the early effects of the storm didn't appear very severe. On Mayaguana Island, few bothered to board their windows or stock up on emergency supplies as they normally would for a hurricane, said Earnel Brown, manager of the Baycaner Beach Resort. "I don't expect that much trouble," Brown said. "I don't think we're going to have that much damage from it." On the island of San Salvador to the north, bartender Curline Fernander was still working as the winds gathered force and the rain grew more steady. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com