Jim Cantore ‘blown away’ by this MS Coast city’s rebirth 19 years after Hurricane Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina’s winds and storm surge ravaged the Mississippi Coast in 2005, the small beach town of Bay St. Louis resembled a war zone.
The bridge that connected the Bay to Pass Christian was reduced to concrete pilings. Streets in downtown near the water washed away.
Storm surge of over 20 feet invaded homes, washing away structures and taking priceless mementos and memories with it. Some who stayed, like Bay St. Louis business owner Nikki Moon, clung to life on a tree as Katrina destroyed her bed and breakfast on the beach.
What Katrina left behind on August 30, 2005, was a somber awakening of a new normal for Hancock County residents.
It’s been almost 20 years since that storm hit, and it’s safe to say that Bay St. Louis has had a massive rebirth.
Restaurants with ties to the Bay like Trapani’s rebuilt on the beach, and dozens more opened in the downtown area. The French Potager flower shop found its home on Main Street. Houses were rebuilt and renovated, and the waterfront now looks like a mini-Destin, as colorful bars and eateries line the white sand.
Bay St. Louis is beloved by New Orleanians, too, who have second homes there or go on the weekend for food, art, music and fun.
And now, the Mississippi Coast city is catching the eye of famous meteorologist.
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore was in Bay St. Louis for the first day of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
He came down for housewarming party thrown by storm chaser Josh Morgerman, who built a home a few blocks from the water that can sustain winds from a Category 5 hurricane.
While on the Coast, Cantore spent some time exploring Bay St. Louis and said he was “blown away” by the city.
“What a sweet scene filled with wonderful people and eats, shops, and scene,” Cantore said on Instagram. “Almost 20 years after Katrina this one of a kind coast will never be forgotten again.”
Cantore is no stranger to the Coast — he’s visited dozens of times when storms threaten and rode out Katrina in Gulfport. Hopefully he’ll visit more for fun this year, and not for work.