Not sure what a 15 foot storm surge looks like? Here's a video from two years ago.
Anecdotally, my grandmother's sister and her husband decided to ride out this very storm. Their condo took a full year of work to be habitable again, as nearly everything was a total loss. They were on the third floor (what some countries call second floor).
Hurricanes are serious. When you're told to evacuate, listen. If you don't you may end up dead.