Extreme Weather Hype Very Frustrating (Score 1)

I see exactly what you mean and it is infuriating. Case in point: Hurricane Florence. After listening to the media circus about it on CBS 17 which provided 24/7 coverage on the storm, my husband and I decided to evacuate Central North Carolina and head north to Virginia. All we heard about from their meteorology team and that of WRAL is that this is a life-threatening storm which will drown you, knock trees on you, steal money from your bank account, eat your firstborn, and give you a bad haircut. Okay, I'm exaggerating but they made it seem like the Armageddon of weather had arrived, and it worked because my husband and I were concerned about flooding where we live though it had never happened before. After a series of subsequent stupid bad decisions that my husband made related to the storm because he wanted to listen to his friends instead of his wife (still currently pissed off at him ðY¥S) I decided to sit down and do some research. First, I reached out to friends and family members who had not evacuated to find out what the weather was really doing back home and they all said that it was drizzling on and off but life was carrying on like normal. Second, I pulled up FEMA's flood layer map and found that our apartment was in an area of minimal risk, so there actually was no reason for us to evacuate to avoid flooding although it was still technically possible. Third, I researched if it's possible that meteorologists are just hyping up the weather and why they would callously play on people's fears, which lead me here. Several websites said that metrologists practically have a professional oath to hone in their inner actor when delivering the weather forecast to keep viewers tuned in so they can make money on the sponsors. That must be why I was expecting a second worldwide deluge after viewing so much of CBS 17's weather forecasts. The question is where do I get the truth about the weather? Sometimes people do need to evacuate an area when extreme weather is expected like those living on the coast of NC and SC for Florence, head to the basement for tornados, or grab the survival kit (which actually is a good idea to have anyway), but is it possible that most times we just need to keep trees away from the home, avoid living in flood zones, and stay indoors away from windows? How can I get the truth about the weather forecast without all of the hype? How am I supposed to make informed decisions about steps I need to take if every event is the world War III of weather? How can I kick my husband's butt without sacrificing the integrity of my shoe? I'm still researching the answer to these questions but I think that empowering oneself with knowledge is the best thing that we can do so that we are not taken on an emotional and monetary ride on the forecast machine.