be confusion and misrepresenting the storm, the national weather service decided to go with high winds and flood warnings. it s impossible to say if some lives would have been saved if the attention getting hurricane warning would be in place. if and when there s a next time, officials say there won t be an issue. there s been a policy change. they can issue and keep up hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings even if something isn t technically a hurricane or tropical storm anymore. reporter: but they argue, no matter what you call it, people aren t necessarily prepared for the storm threat they re most vulnerable to. some are vulnerable to storm surge, some aren t. some are vulnerable to river flooding. some aren t. don t focus on the skinny black line or the number. focus on the impacts, what you need to protect your family. reporter: and do it now. it s too late to figure out a plan when the storm is at your doorstep. this is expected to be an active hurricane se