Heck, look at Katrina. Just the year before, Ivan was heading towards NOLA and turned to the right at the last minute. Too many people thought that would happen again - and it did to an extent, but Katrina was so massive that it took out NOLA with a backhand blow.
And for all the talk of people being unable to evacuate, over half those found dead in NOLA after Katrina had a car in their driveway. They made the choice to stay and paid with their lives.
In the end, it comes down to the psychology of the fact that, in the name of prudence, forecasters issue a lot of warnings where nothing comes to pass, which lulls people into a sense of apathy. And IMO there is no good answer to that.
It really is a double-edged sword for forecasters, but it all comes down to personal responsibility. In the south, finding a meteorologist that I trusted was just part of living, like finding a good doctor or dentist. Just making an arbitrary decision and deciding to ignore a weather warning smacks of sheer stupidity.
Obviously it’s a bit different with hurricanes, but I suppose if people are willing to risk life and limb rather than get off their duffs and save themselves then there’s really nothing the rest of us can do. It really shouldn’t be up to the gov’t/NWS to figure out how to convince people that yes there really is something coming your way that will kill you.