In fairness, the Rita evacuation was an absolute shitshow and Harvey had a much lower casualty rate than mass-evacuations in other years.

Sitting tight through a storm isn't the worst idea, particularly if you're in a sturdy facility with backup power like a school or stadium. Trying to pile out of town with another 4M people, particularly in this town, is nightmarish. And getting caught on a road in the middle of a flood/storm is even worse. Nevermind how this just kinda creates a blister in hotel prices and a rash of living-in-car homelessness for the duration and then another giant mess as people pile back into town.

One might argue that this would encourage my city administrators to invest more aggressively in domestic shelters and other life-saving facilities. But we all know that's not going to happen. In the meantime, I would not consider evacuation a given as a solution to an incoming storm.