As I said, that is today. The damage is much greater than Cat 3 along the MS coast.
I agree with you. I've been somewhat perplexed by that myself. The reported surge along the Mississippi coast was a Cat 5 surge. Others have said that the surge does not decline as swiftly as the wind speed, because it gets piled up ahead of the storm while it's still at the greater strength. I don't know myself, of course; I'm just reporting the official figures. One might certainly dispute their validity, but that is what they are.