Preparing for the big one: ports and agencies in Southern California are reviewing their earthquake-response plans.(ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach)

When Hurricane Katrina knocked out port facilities along the Gulf Coast, it raised an unnerving question: How would the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach respond to a major earthquake?

If the "Big One" ever hits, there will be no shortage of response plans. There are more than a dozen in place, including those developed by state and local agencies as well as each of the terminal operators. After Katrina, the Coast Guard scheduled a meeting for later this month to meet with the various public agencies and private interests to begin pulling all of the plans together.

However, as Gulf ports were reminded, it is difficult to predict everything that will happen …