When it was nearly on land it was a 3, but as the rest of the storm passed over warm waters it became a Level 5.
My girlfriend was living there at the time, and she told me about it. Plenty of people evacuated, its always people who think they can "wait out the storm," or who can't afford to suddenly relocate that are the victims. Everything else that happen was incompetence, elitism, and a genuine dislike for the Black poor.
Hurricanes wane and strengthen depending on the waters they are currently in.