I live in Florida, and have been through quite a few hurricanes. They usually loose strength quickly once they are over land. We're getting rain and some wind (outer bands?) right now. Personally, I've never considered evacuation. My house is solid, and figure it's just as safe as the shelters, and don't have to worry about my dog. Nobody will be doing any looting, and I can leave when I want, not when someone else says it safe to go home. Then there's the traffic and crowds of people... Just not worth it to me. Worst damage was have to replace my fence and cut up a bunch of tree branches.