He isn't saying that the southeast doesn't get hurricanes... He's talking about the severity of Katrina.

and high intensity hurricanes have been devastating the region for decades.

here's just one example for the Houston/Galveston area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane

Here's a list of previous storms that have hit the New Orleans area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_preparedness_in_New_...

Once-in-a-lifetime is both incorrect and hyperbolic.

Or Camille in 1969 which flattened a significant chunk of the Gulf coast.

https://www.weather.gov/mob/camille https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Camille