Storm chaser says his new Bay St. Louis home is so strong he’ll stay for Cat 5 hurricane

On a rainy Saturday afternoon, dozens of people arrived at a parking lot on the Bay St. Louis beach and looked for the maroon golf cart with a “HURRICANE PARTY” sign.

They’d be shuttled a few blocks up the street, to a brand new home that doesn’t look too different from the other New Orleans shotgun inspired cottages that dot Old Town, one of the trendiest and fastest growing cities on the Mississippi Coast.

But Josh Morgerman’s house is anything but ordinary.

Known as iCyclone to his thousands of online followers, the storm chaser travels to the corners of the world to document some of the worst cyclones and hurricanes in history.

And after spending a few years during the COVID pandemic renting a beach cottage in Bay St. Louis, Morgerman decided to build a house of his own in a city that’s often referred to as “ground zero” for hurricanes.

House built of Hardie siding

The cream-colored house does not stick out like a sore thumb — it has a large gravel driveway, a large front porch with a white rocking chair and a swing, and navy blue window shutters.

But it’s built to withstand the strongest of severe weather events, so much so that Morgerman said he’d ride out a Category 5 hurricane there.

“When I decided to build this here ‘Hurricane House,’ I knew — given the Coastal Mississippi’s unique history, that it needed to be hurricane tough,” Morgerman told a crowd of residents, movers and shakers, and weather celebrities including Jim Cantore at his housewarming party on the first day of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.

Morgerman’s walls, gables, porch ceiling, columns and trim are all made with James Hardie siding.

“It looks like wood, but it’s not,” he said. “It’s fiber cement. The stuff is rock hard and impact-resistant. It repels water. It doesn’t mold or rot. Termites hate it, they don’t find it appetizing. It doesn’t even burn.”

Morgerman said he’ll sleep easy this hurricane season knowing his home is encased in a “coat of armor.”

It was also important to Morgerman that the house look historical, and he worked with Beau Ladner of Paramount Contracting to have his vision come to life.

“He managed to build a home for me and keep it in budget,” Morgerman said.

FORTIFIED Gold standard home

Realtor Tesia Lee of HL Raymond Properties in Bay St. Louis helped Mogerman find the lot about two blocks from the Bay of St. Louis.

And from the moment he began designing his “Hurricane House,” Morgerman said he knew he wanted to build a home of the highest standard that would also lower his insurance costs.

“This house is considered FORTIFIED Gold,” Morgerman said. That means it’s built to a construction standard that makes it rock solid and resistant to hurricanes. The designation comes from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

“I’m so glad I did this because one, it gives me piece of mind ... and two, I enjoyed a big insurance discount because of it.”

Morgerman implored coastal residents to work with a home inspector when building a new house or making renovations to an existing structure to meet the FORTIFIED standards. He worked with Geremie Hopkins of Hopson Inspections.

A new weather station in Bay St. Louis

Morgerman, like many people who showed up to see his new house, nerds out on the weather and also built a weather station in his backyard.

“Mississippi gets the craziest hurricanes,” Morgerman said, citing Camille and Katrina, “and we want to accurately and scientifically measure these events.”

James Hyde installed the custom weather station, which sits on a post 33 feet above the ground, that’s made from Campbell Scientific parts. Morgerman said it is secure and can measure winds up to 224 mph.

Be prepared for a severe hurricane season

As crowds enjoyed food and drinks and finished touring the inside of Morgerman’s beach oasis, he implored people to check out downtown Bay St. Louis, but also to prepare for the 2024 hurricane season.

“This is a celebration of hurricane awareness and preparedness,” he said. “And that’s real important, especially this year. It could be a rough one.”

Cantore said he had a great time seeing Morgerman’s new place and seeing the growth of Bay St. Louis.

“What a sweet scene filled with wonderful people and eats, shops, and scene,” The Weather Channel meteorologist said on Instagram. “Almost 20 years after Katrina, this one of a kind coast will never be forgotten again.”