Dear friends:

For added perspective...

According to WeatherMatrix, from 1886 through 2005 (counting the current hurricane Rita), 27 Atlantic storms have reached Category 5 intensity, and only 9 were of category 5 strength at time of landfall. Of these 27, 21 occurred before 1990, and only 3 made U.S. landfall: the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane; Hurricane Camille, which hit the Mississippi coastline in 1969; and Hurricane Andrew which hit Florida in 1992.

The table at the Web site below lists all known category 5 Atlantic hurricanes since records began in 1886.
http://www.weathermatrix.net/tropical/cat5storms.htm

Jim