I think post storm analysis will show the storm to be very much on par with Andrew. Measured across, it will have produced a wider swath of damage than Andrew... Just a massive storm.
The storm surge reports did end up sounding eerily reminiscent to some of the things we saw in last years tsunami.
The fact that numerous towns/regions have not checked in should be extremely telling.
Do you foresee this one being called a Cat 5 after the fact Like Andrew? The pressure and surge seems to support it.
I doubt you'll see the extreme wind damage to well-constructed homes like you saw in Cutler Ridge in Andrew.
However, the swath of severe wind damage is much wider and the surge damage in dollar value is going to be the largest in US history by a large margin.
The tsunami is like the surge in that it raises ocean levels and moves inland. However, a storm surge also has waves coming in on top of it and very strong winds - so IMO it is more destructive for the same sea-level rise.
But it also affects a much smaller area. And there is plenty of warning for a hurricane, for those who choose to heed them.