I know.. you just have to use your best judgement. I am in North Port, FL in south Sarasota County (just north of Charlotte County line).. I know that we are far enough inland that storm surge won't affect us.. we are not in a flood zone and that our house is 3 years old and meets post-Andrew standards..AND it weathered "Charley" with no problems (but it also didn't have the eye go over it...unlike the house we WERE living in then). Based on all of that, we made sure we have water, canned food, generator, flashlights, batteries, plywood, propane, etc.. and we have no plans to evacuate. My biggest concern is power outage.. since such a large area was without power after Charley, even areas with very little other damage. BUT, if we were closer to the coast, it would be so hard to know what to do..... We would be making some contingency plans and we WOULD evacuate .. but pay attention to all of the information we can get. The waiting and watching can drive you crazy......