The next severe storm in 1998 "Georges." That what it was named. I don't make this stuff up. It manifested nearly exactly where the current storm is off Africa today.
It was very near the equator at 9.00 north latitude.

It was very hear Africa at 25.90 west longitude.

It was first called a tropical depression on September 15, 1998 with sustained winds of 34.6 mph.

"Georges" was a very dangerous storm. It ripped across the Atlantic maximizing it's winds and driving heat into the ocean at a speed of 149.8 mph. It hit the Lesser Antilles on September 20, 2006 (click on) slowing the storm to 132.5 mph. The storm roared over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and brushed Cuba's northern border at 121.0 mph. It's path continued passing the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida and finally making landfall at sustained winds of 109.4 mph as a high Cat 2on September 28, 1998 over Alabama (click on).

This is the visual image of "Georges" as it approached landfall. The outer bands to this storm were absolutely ferocious.

When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast it was a low Cat 3 with sustained winds of 115.2 mph. Not all that much difference between the two storms and the devastation they left in their wake EXCEPT the death toll with Katrina was much higher.

THIS IS a storm review of Georges by NASA (Click on). The picture of the Atlantic with multiple circulation centers is interesting. If there was a North Atlantic Oscillation that year I would not be surprised. (Click on for larger image)