Many of us did head out when Rita and Katrina were heading our way. Ike covered most of the gulf so there was no where to go without heading into it.
Yikes that must have been a wild ride! I bet you have some stories to tell.
I’m sorry you lost your home in Ike. I hope you were able to replace her.
I think the hurricane that weakened was Lili and she did hit more west than the Panhandle. She was a 4 mid-Gulf and miraculously became a 1 before landfall.