Andrew
I somewhat experienced Andrew. I was working on cruise ships, and we were docked in the bahamas when the decision was made to RUN! The initial thought was to get to Miami and get the passengers off, but we didn't have time. Port hole covers were bolted down and we fled south toward Cuba. We expereinced some waves on the way, and barf bags lined the corridors. Passengers, many of whom were from Miami, were terrified for their families. It was difficult for the families to contact shore - this occurred before everyone had cell phones. The radio officer worked non-stop making calls. We waited off the coast of Cuba with about a dozen other cruise ships. We lost communication with our home office in Miami for obvious reasons. When we returned to the port of Miami, the damage included storefront windows blown out in downtown, pieces of debris and roofs all over the place, trees toppled, cars relocated and banged up, buildings damaged, etc... Looting was a issue, and the National Guard came in to patrol downtown. Our ship stayed in port for about 1 week as a floating hotel to help company employees who lost their homes to the SOUTH. Many of us helped with the cleanup. The company had a private island in the bahamas that was completely demolished. It was a couple of months before the ships could return there.
My advice is to evacuate if you are in the path of a category 4-5 hurricane. If you cannot leave, get to a shelter.