The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Preparing a family for a possible terrorist attack won't come cheaply. A family of four could spend up to $700 buying all the supplies suggested on an anti-terrorism Web site developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday.

But family size, supplies already on hand and some comparison shopping could cut that figure in half, the newspaper said.

The Web site, http://www.ready.gov, advises people to amass a three-day supply of nonperishable food, water and protective supplies in case of a chemical or biological attack.

Some Ohioans say they already had some of the items and are buying more from the list. "I'd rather have it and not use it than need it and not have it," said Gary Clark, whose survival stash of granola bars, beef jerky, soup and water purification supplies is in three 20-gallon containers in his Columbus basement.

Clark, 55, said he already had most of the materials and needed to spend only about $40 on food, about enough to last a week.

The Ohio National Guard retiree is still working on his kit and also is ready for potential evacuations.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, demand for survival gear rose in spurts that followed heightened national warnings.

David Hughes, 57, of Pataskala, said he and his wife spent about $60 on supplies when the national terrorist alert went to its second-highest level last month. "People in this country have this `It's not gonna happen to me' attitude. But we're not fighting an enemy that's traditional," he said.