Crista, as one who lost an airplane in a hurricane (H. Fran T-boned KRDU in 1996) I know that unless I have a very fast plane, I cannot “just fly my plane to another state”. Sure, the forecasts are getting better, but do you remember all the spaghetti-plots being depicted three days out? They showed potential paths that were pretty-much all over the eastern seaboard of the US. Those plots were of the eye of the hurricane; dangerously high winds extend for quite a few miles on all sides. Up here in NC, I can go only so far east (Kitty Hawk) and with potential paths as far west as mid-Tennessee, I’d have to relocate to Memphis to be confident of finding safety.
Paul is in the neck of the funnel, being feet-wet as soon as he lifts-off to the west, ditto (and still well within the noodles) an hour or so to the east, and looking at days of flying in any northerly direction to find “safety”.
My plane is undergoing its annual in my hangar with all fairings, inspection plates, and prop off, so relocation was not an option. It is still safe and dry.
We both made the best choice.