His new Coast house looks like a New Orleans shotgun. He'll ride out a Cat 5 hurricane there.

Jun. 15—There's no such thing as a "hurricane proof" house.

But once the construction of his new home is finished on an empty lot about a block or so away from the Bay St. Louis beach, Josh Morgerman will stay there in even the strongest of storms.

"I will ride out the second-coming of (Hurricane) Camille in that house," he told the Sun Herald.

Morgerman, who grew up on the East Coast and has lived in Los Angeles most of his adult life, isn't an ordinary Mississippi Coast transplant.

He's a world-renowned storm chaser with hundreds of thousands of followers who know him as iCyclone. He's been inside the eye walls of some of the most powerful hurricanes and typhoons in this lifetime. He's known for shooting it straight and not being afraid to book a flight or jump in a car when there's a powerful storm to chase.

Morgerman began renting a cottage near downtown Bay St. Louis in 2020 during the Atlantic hurricane season. He fell in love and has been back every summer since.

Now, he's building a permanent residence of his own in the Bay that he plans to have forever — and you won't ever find it on Airbnb.

"I want to retire here," Morgerman said from the front porch of his property. "I will be 85-years-old and chasing local storms from here."

Bay St. Louis home built to withstand hurricane winds

Morgerman's home will have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a front and back porch. Outside, it'll look like a classic New Orleans shotgun home.

"It kind of celebrates the traditional architecture of this region," he said.

The bones of the house, though, are constructed to withstand hurricane winds and storm surge.

Paramount Contracting in Saucier is building Morgerman's house on the lot he purchased that has been empty since Hurricane Katrina. Owner Bo Ladner said the structure has been inspected and will be IBHS gold fortified certified, meaning the home is built to reinforce areas normally susceptible to high winds and wind-driven rain.

Ladner said the certification will save Morgerman about 40% in home insurance costs.

"With this insurance hike that we're having, it's just a matter of time before (new homeowners) are wanting to (build) their whole house for gold (certified)," Ladner said.

Here's what Ladner and his team have done in the construction of Morgerman's house for the fortified gold marker:

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The studs are 2 by 6 instead of the traditional 2 by 4 size

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There's a QuickTie system of cables that are cemented into the foundation and stretch to the top of the house that reinforce the home against uplift forces seen in high wind. Ladner said each cable used for Morgerman's house is rated to withstand 3,180 pounds.

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The roof and walls are built with LP Weather Logic sheathing that is engineered wood rather than plywood. The sheathing is more weather resistant and adds structural strength.

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Every raptor will be attached with a raptor clip for reinforcement.

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The exterior will be Hardy siding that's impact, moisture and pest resistant.

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Morgerman opted to purchase heavy composite shutters that can protect his windows and be set up in about 15 minutes. "They're not the kind that are just for decoration," Morgerman said. "Don't be stuck boarding up your windows in storms."

Roof of new Coast home built to withstand hurricane winds

Additionally, the custom-made roof by New Horizon Roofing & Exteriors out of Gautier will withstand winds of up to 200 mph.

"It's the most expensive roof other than copper," said New Horizon owner Mike Toribio.

The steel roof will also be IBHS fortified certified to help with insurance costs.

Toribio, who has been in the roofing business since 2011, said fortified certified roofs are becoming more and more popular "because of the high winds (with storms) and lower cost of insurance.

The steel is manufactured in Gautier and installed by Toribio and his team.

"It's not coming from a random factory in China," Morgerman said. "It was made here on the Coast, and that was really important to me."

Storm chaser's very own Gulf Coast 'hurricane house'

Morgerman took one final — and expensive step — to protect his new home from severe weather. He bought a lot 19 feet above sea level and raised the foundation 4 feet above that to protect against storm surge.

"I'm good for anything except a 300 to 500 year event," he said.

It was important for Morgerman's home to fit the "New Orleans-light" aesthetic that is seen in Old Town Bay St. Louis architecture, and he has heard some push back about his home design from people online. They note that other designs or layouts could be safer against Mother Nature.

But Morgerman has done everything he possibly can to build a home that fits on the Coast and that can withstand major storms from years to come.

"Aesthetics also matter," he said. "I don't want to live in a space-aged dome."

The storm chaser hopes his house, which has a nice back porch and only a small window in the master bedroom to allow less light in for his "vampire habits," will be finished in the next few weeks before the height of the 2023 hurricane season.

This story was originally published June 15, 2023, 7:30 AM.

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