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Jules,

It's great that you are doing this forum. With the recent attention on NOLA (Mardi Gras and the 6-month anniversary of Katrina), it was all to evident that things are in pretty bad shape there still.

It seems like an opportunity for some enterprising modernists (architects, prefabricators, etc.) to address. Of course, each opportunity presents its own challenges, and there will be many. But there are some who might be more willing. Among the lower cost modern prefabricators, these might include:

• Rocio Romero of LV Home fame. She's based near St. Louis (a day's drive) and I think her husband's family is actually from NOLA. I'm not sure her LV Home has been re-engineered for hurricane strength winds, however.
• EcoSteel, and EcoContempo (featured for a while on LiveModern). These are steel buildings, and obviously a prime candidate for hurricane country. EcoContempo is EcoSteel's new modern line, and their first Signature Architect is Greg La Vardera, well known at LiveModern. In fact, Greg was recently featured in Wired News, in "These Houses can take a Lickin'".
  

(I'm focussing on the lower cost prefabricators, as my assumption is that insurance is not covering all reconstruction costs.)

The modular designs (like MKD's Glidehouse, and others) all would have to line up a factory close to NOLA. With the construction that is going on now, that would be highly unlikely as these factories are already swamped pushing out traditional designs.

There may be other options that I'm not thinking of right off the top of my head. And then there are always design/build firms, but I don't know of any of those in your area that work in modern.

Marshall

Rocio is showing a new model - the LV150 which is designed for 150 mph wind loads for hurricane exposure. She apparently is on the problem.