Aired Wednesday, November 21.

Be prepared!

That old motto seems more important than ever in the wake of terror attacks with skyjacked airliners and anthrax germs.

But what does preparednes mean to your family? And how much is enough? News Specialist John Hollenhorst helps answer some of those questions.

It would be an understatement to say America is more security minded now. Some say we've even gone overboard.

But, nationally, the attacks put new energy into the preparednes effort. And in Utah there was an extra, powerful push from the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At a place called Paramount Preparedness, 72-hour survival kits are going out the door by the dozens.

There are lots of customers.

Veronica Brand/Murray: "I AM WORRIED ABOUT MORE BIOLOGICAL OR CHEMICAL PROBLEMS THAT WE WOULD HAVE."

Paramount opened retail stores during the Y-2K panic. When people stopped worrying about that, Paramount closed the stores to concentrate on mail and internet sales.

Larry Jenkins/Paramount Preparedness: "BUT, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO SENSE OF URGENCY UNTIL SEPT. 11TH."

Now they've reopened. In some cases they're cooling down the fears of their own customers.

Scott Reynolds/Store Manager: "YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING PEOPLE COMING IN AND THEY WANT TO SPEND $10,000 ON STUFF. AND THEY WANT TO PUT IT ON FIVE CREDIT CARDS. AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, 'WELL, AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE THE BUSINESS, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME REASON IN THERE'."

In North Salt Lake, Paul Seyfried is building bomb shelters to order. Starting price: $17,000.

Paul Seyfried/Utah Shelter Systems, Inc.: "THESE ARE QUITE CAPABLE OF SURVIVING WITHIN ONE-HALF-MILE OF THE LARGEST CURRENT NUCLEAR WEAPON DEPLOYED."

He claims he typically sells 5 or 10 a year; 10 more just since Sept. 11th.

PAUL SEYFRIED/UTAH SHELTER SYSTEMS, INC: "IT'S UP! BUT, OF COURSE, IT'S STILL A VERY, VERY THIN MARGIN OF THE POPULATION THAT SHOWS AN INTEREST IN IT."

State emergency officials are hearing from a lot more people who show an interest.

Maralin Huff gives public presentations on how to be prepared.

Maralin Huff/Utah Comprehensive Emergency Management: "WELL, I'LL TELL YOU THIS MUCH. YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUT A SECOND MORTGAGE."

Her first advice: go through your junk drawers.

MARALIN HUFF/UTAH COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: "PUT THE JUNK TO USE!"

September 11th triggered numerous phone calls to Huff's office. They've sent out more than 10,000 brochures.

It reached a peak after the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, made this statement:

PRESIDENT HINCKLEY/OCT. 7, 2001: "AS WE HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUSLY COUNSELED FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS, LET US HAVE SOME FOOD SET ASIDE THAT WOULD SUSTAIN US FOR A TIME IN CASE OF NEED."

MARALIN HUFF/UTAH COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: "THE PHONES WERE RINGING. IN FACT, I GOT OVERWHELMED WITH THE CALLS."

"PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, WHERE THEY CAN BEGIN."

Begin with a family emergency plan. Where to meet. Who to call. Lists of contact numbers including an out-of-state person to leave messages with.

Then there's the survival stuff. Huff figures most Utahns are unprepared.

MARALIN HUFF/UTAH COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: "MAYBE ONE IN A HUNDRED. BUT UH, I HOPE I'M WRONG."

To be prepared for any emergency, the state recommends a 72-hour survival kit in the family garage.

MARALIN HUFF/UTAH COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: " 'CAUSE YOU MAY BE LIVING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO GO BACK INTO YOUR HOME."

The kit should include basics like water and food, cold weather gear, first aid & medical supplies, plus the usual flashlights, matches and so on.

There should be a second kit for the car and a special kit for every kid in the family.

It can all be done for under a hundred dollars, she says, and you'll be prepared for mundane emergencies like a wintertime power outage, far more likely than a terror attack.

MARALIN HUFF/UTAH COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: "IT'S SAD THAT SOMETHING TRAUMATIC HAS TO HAPPEN FOR PEOPLE TO WAKE UP."

Meanwhile, more expensive options are out there for people who want heavy-duty protection.

PAUL SEYFRIED/UTAH SHELTER SYSTEMS, INC: "IF YOU'RE EXPOSED TO AN ATTACK BY A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, I DON'T THINK THERE IS SUCH A THING AS OVERKILL."