Considering the storm was downgraded from when he decided not to evacuate, that’s saying something. He’s admitting he would have died if the the 140mph wind and 30ft storm surge had happened.
Not much changed on the inland effects. They still get all the rain and rain-caused flooding. The storm weakening just means a little less wind and coastal storm surge damage. But the inland rain and flooding will seem to some out of proportion to the meh Cat 1 storm.
The storm was “downgraded” according to the Saffir Simpson scale, which primarily measures wind speed.
There were many, many warnings about the the risks of flooding, both from storm surge and rainfall. Those warnings also emphasized the great risk of inland flooding from rivers and streams.
I live in Central Virginia, and lots of people here were very concerned about what could happen here.
There is very little excuse for anyone who had the ability to leave, and chose not to.