> No Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricane has made landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005

That is true, but highly misleading. Yes, Sandy was a Cat 2 when she made landfall in the U.S., but she was a Cat 3 before that, and she was the largest (in terms of area) Atlantic hurricane in recorded history. She was also (and this is the part that really matters) the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, second only to Katrina, and dwarfing the #3 slot (Ike, in 2008) by a factor of 2.