LA port security economic issues

Natural disaster or terrorism the LA area ports need to be prepared, as they are important to the U.S. economy, as set out here:

Decades of round-the-clock economic activity have shaped the sprawling Long Beach-Los Angeles seaport into America's premier doorway for international trade.

So what happens if that door slams shut in the wake of a natural disaster or terrorist attack?

The answer is incomplete, but industry and public sector leaders are working to develop a more cohesive plan to keep the supply chain intact following a serious disruption.

"There's obviously a great deal of pressure," said John M. Holmes, deputy executive director of operations at the Port of Los Angeles, who joined fellow port executives from Long Beach, Los Angeles and New Orleans on Friday for a daylong forum on the port's ability to continue functioning after a disaster.

"If L.A.-Long Beach went down, all the ports on the West Coast, including those in Canada and Mexico, couldn't handle the overflow. We have to think about how we get these ports back on track."