I'm in Orlando now. Sounds like I'll get out just in time...although a part of me kinda likes the idea of experiencing a hurricane here. Wouldn't be great for work and other life stuff, though.
The terrain between Valdosta, GA and Anderson, SC where the bulk of the wind damage and deaths were is largely flat and is topographically distinct from the Blue Ridge foothills in the far west part of SC.
It's just that the strong forward speed of the storm allowed those Cat 1 level winds to surface a little further inland than you'd normally see.