Just a Category 1 hurricane? Don't be fooled by a number — It could be more devastating than a Cat 5

Former Federal Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate has some advice for people following storms: Don't judge their severity on how big a number they've been assigned. Measuring a storm's danger based on a 1 through 5 scale is just one tool in assessing potential damage. People often mistakenly think a tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane are nothing to worry about, when they can sometimes be more devastating than a major Category 4 or 5 storm. A category only measures wind strength. It doesn't factor in storm surge, rain amounts, possible tornado formation, or a storm's size or speed. Fugate recommends following local forecasts provided by the National Weather Service.