Should you leave or stay? What officials recommend.

For those who decide to hunker down, emergency management officials suggest you have a safe building to stay in that can withstand winds up to 95 mph and enough food and water to remain self-sufficient for five days.

During the storm, emergency officials recommend that you:

• Stay tuned to local television and radio stations.

• Stay inside a well-constructed building away from windows and doors. Go to an interior first-floor room, basement, closet or under stairs.

• Be alert for tornadoes that are often spawned during hurricanes.

• Beware that severe conditions will return with winds from the other direction in a very short time if the eye of the storm passes over.

Some emergency personnel will stick around in areas where evacuation is voluntary. But with Category 2 hurricanes and greater, evacuation is mandatory for all of Beaufort County.

Category alone won’t determine the type of evacuation. Officials will take into account the predicted threat or potential damage.

There always will be some residents who ignore mandatory evacuation, but they do so at the “risk of getting yourself killed,” said William Winn, county emergency management director.

Voluntary evacuation

A voluntary evacuation is a request to begin evacuation. Individuals issued this type of warning or order are not required to leave.

Mandatory evacuation

The governor orders a mandatory evacuation. Everyone is required to leave the designated area. The order carries the force of state law and prohibits you from returning until the governor lifts the order.