Knock on wood Dreamer, my area that I live in has been very very lucky weather wise. I too find that we have a lot of time to prepare for a storm. It is always your choice to stay or go. Although, If a hurricane comes up the gulf side, I'm getting out of Dodge!! A lot of the storms come in on the Atlantic side. Or the gulf side has a track that turns toward LA. Knock on wood, we have been very very lucky.
I helped my husband move household furniture for United Van Lines the year Hurricane Andrew came in. (After the storm.) It was horrible. A lot of people just had nothing left. The people who stayed, said they would never do it again. They would evacuate. The people who evacuated came home to devastation. This was not in my area. It was the Miami Dade Area.
It is important to be prepared and be insured.
It's like any other area that has bad things. Like earthquakes, tornado's, tsuanami's etc. You really don't think too much about them. Until your faced with a threat. And, after, life does go on.
I was more scared of the storms in Paducah, KY then I ever was living in Florida. The storms in KY are sooo scary!!!