I rode out Laura in Lake Charles 3 years ago last Sunday. My wife and kids, mother, in-laws and pets evacuated to Austin. My reason for staying was two fold:
1) I had a secure building that we constructed specifically to endure these types of events in which to take shelter. I knew my odds of death weren't zero, but they were very low. There was no party, no drinking, no celebration. There was a lot of silence watching and listening to what seemed like the world being erased outside.
2) I had multiple commercial, residential and agricultural properties to weatherproof and secure after the shit hit the fan. The eye passed over us at ~midnight and by 7am I was out on the street. Being able to immediately address open buildings, lost roofs, damaged and/or unsecured property, etc. saved our family and associated businesses millions of dollars. Not to mention being able to help friends, neighbors and complete strangers even. And then 6 weeks later I did the same exact thing when Delta came through.
People riding these things out with a false sense of bravado and to have a good story to tell are idiots. Personally I felt like it was in our family's best interests to stay. I would not have done so without #1 mentioned above, though.