Paranoid, or Just Prepared?

I was talking to my husband while he was on his way home from work tonight, commenting on how many people up here in North Texas are preparing for Hurricane Rita, and how I thought they were over-doing it just a bit. I haven't heard a new forecast, but yesterday the local newscasts (and I use that word very loosely) told us that Rita would still be a tropical depression by the time it reached the Dallas Fort Worth area, with possible sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph. Now, this is not normal for us, but I feel like things are being blown (no pun intended) out of proportion just to see which network can get the best ratings. My husband agreed that people seem to be over-the-top about this storm. Next thing I know, he has me talked into going tonight to purchase batteries for the flashlight, bottled water, and ice in case we lose power from the winds. I feel like one of those people who rush to the grocery store to stock up on canned goods and firewood at the first mention of freezing precipitation, knowing that we never have more than one good snow or ice day a year around here. But we're going all the same. And at least we don't have to contend with what Galvestonites and Houstonese are dealing with. I do hope that Rita doesn't end up being as devastating as the experts are predicting.