I don't feel the wind was over rated. If the storm would have taken a track 25 miles further west we would be singing a tune of praise. Just think, 25 miles made all the difference. How often is the path of "normal" weather predictions 25 miles off?
I think this is a fair assessment. The eye wall was where the serious winds were, and thankfully, for the most part, it is remained offshore.
I think the lesson from this storm is just not to depend solely on weather models for forecasting. I mean, 5 days ago, the NHC said that North Carolina was going to get slammed with wind, and though serious rainfall is occurring their, that's still different from significant wind damage.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected. I lost my house back in June due to flooding - it's not an easy ride.
In conclusion, though I think media is quite annoying (I work in media unfortunately for now, so I see it every day), the storm turned out to still be serious, and I feel like lives were saved from the evacuations - even if it was due more to rain.