The impact of this storm would have been much worse if it came ashore as a Category 4 instead of the Category 1.
The storm is slow moving and the major impact across the Carolinas will be flooding. The expectation in the coastal areas are for rain totals above 24 inches plus the storm surge flooding . Much of the flooding will be on Saturday and later.
I will note that the state / local response efforts are well organized. They include public first responders (fire, national guard, police, etc.) and private first responders (Carolina swift boat rescue, Cajun navy) plus powerline people. I expect to see many rescues due to high water but not wide-spread lose of life in this storm. Much of this is due to the properly organized response by local & state officials. This is not Puerto Rico.
I will also note that most critical / recovery / old age care facilities in the coastal region were evacuated two days before the storm. I don't expect we will have pictures of old people in nursing homes in waist deep water in the news.
