You are correct however my point was that IF any storm transverses the length of the state from south to north, it will not be as potent as when it first makes landfall. The gentleman was asking a question that led me to believe he was afraid that a change of course would bring our 'D' storm through the state and would it still be a hurricane. Additionally, I reiterated the necessity of preparation and the lack of need to worry about whatever path this storm ends up taking. We can't change whatever path is in the future for this or any other storm. What we can do is be prepaared for whatever happens and in any case, WORRY is not a solution, PREPARATION is *part* pf the solution. A tripical storm often causes as much or more damage than a full blown hurricane, not from wind, but from flooding and trees down on power lines and through roofs and such and such.
No, you are right that Charlie was one of the more expensive storms in history but much of that damage was not from the Cat II winds but from the TS winds around it, the rain and the tornado activity. More than a few roofs were damaged, but often not from Cat II winds, just TS winds blowing down trees onto the buildings and power lines. Only in a relatively small area near the center track line was the wind actually Cat 1 or II. I think we both agree that preparaation is the key with any storm.
Richard