Still one of the positives in North Carolina was the number of people who made it to the roof which means they did learn from others.

of the Gulf Coast say that when a storm is in the Gulf of Mexico (anywhere) you never stop monitoring it until it has made landfall. And even then, you might want to keep tabs on which direction it is going inland. Storms do not listen to the forecasts. They can’t see YouTube. They go where they choose to go or scientifically, where the fronts and forces guide (push or pull) them. If someone thinks they know the path of a storm when it is still out in the middle of the Gulf, ignore them. The path can seem certain one day and not so sure the next. (Look up Hurricane Elena for an example.)

Never ever turn your back on a storm until it has made landfall and been downgraded. No need for panic but preparing for a land falling hurricane takes time. If you need to evacuate, you cannot wait until the last minute. So stay alert and be ready. Ignore rumors. Listen to official forecasts.

And good advice. I live by the warning, 'Never turn your back on the sea', but it's just as applicable to storms.

It's 90% of the reason I lived on the beach! But I also listened to long time residents and old timers and taught myself about the sea, ESPECIALLY tropical storms. Those who move there just to play get burned.

My grandparents lived in Galveston and my sister and I spent summers there. One summer Hurrican Cecilia was forecast to directly hit Galveston, but it turned and and hit Corpus Christi at the last minute ( give or take a few minutes). By the time it hit Corpus it was a Cat 3.

My grandmother lived by this rule. She always had her map and radio on charting it.