Having actually weathered a few Cat 1 hurricane outside (once, I was at the local renaissance festival as it passed through, out in an open area near
the jousting arena - though it may have been declassified to a tropical storm at that point), and once while on a boat, I can pretty safely say that
while they can cause damage, to those who are experienced with them, they're really pretty easy to wait out. A week's supply of batteries and
non-perishables is always a good thing, and unless you're in an area that's rather prone to flooding (and doesn't have levees in place), the damage
caused is typically limited to a few power outages and some minor flooding.
The last one I weathered was two years ago, here in Baltimore. There was some moderate flooding in Baltimore's downtown (about 2 feet of water along
the harborside streets - caused by the storm surge). The flooding receeded quickly after the storm, and cleanup was complete within a few days. The
biggest problem I experienced due to the storm was a brief power outage, and the fact that the insurance company wouldn't issue a new policy on the
house I was buying at the time (the house I'm living in now) due to the storm. My new house never actually lost power, and even with a leaky roof
and back door, there was absolutely no water damage to the house.
This said, a category 1 hurricane is really nothing to worry about, and prepping for a Cat 1 is about the same as prepping for a major snowstorm.
More often than not, the preparations will ultimately prove unneeded, yet it's better to be prepared.
Katrina, this certainly isn't.

