I've always felt that waiting until the fire/flood/hurricane is at the door is a really stupid thing to do, but we see it all the time on the news.
If I leave, I'm leaving with a dog, 3 cats & 4 chickens.  I'm not planning on going to a shelter.  I'm not waiting until the last minute.  I'm going to put my important stuff in the truck and I'm taking off.  
What's so hard to understand ?  Just get out of the way!
Sue