I'm sure if I'd lived any closer to the beach than I did in North Carolina, I'd feel differently, although an hour and 15 minutes away turned out to be plenty close enough more than once.
I guess, being a reporter, a hurricane (or other such disaster) is a huge EVENT. Everything else goes out the window. Reschedule that council meeting, cancel that festival and for the love of God, let the kids out of school – although one superintendent I covered famously waited until the *night before* to call school off, the storm practically was *there* when he finally decided. That's the night another editor of mine came up with his famous phrase: "People are stupid. That's MY motto."
I've also found that hurricanes (and other disasters) are great equalizers. When the power goes out, it's out for everyone. When the storm floods the roads, *no one* is getting in or out of town, no matter how special you are.
I don't know what I'd do if my North Carolina town got hit by a major hurricane again, although I know the odds are great that it will happen. When my homeland (Illinois) got hit by floods last month, I nearly lost my mind wanting to be there. There's part of me that *still* wants to go up and see the aftermath, if I didn't know that my mother (not to mention my BOSS) would shoot me.
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