"We have a genuine interest in increasing a family's survivability," he said. "We want people to know there's something that can be done. We didn't invent the wheel, but we've studied, we've done our homework. We know it's going to stand up to anything that's thrown its way." Eckhoff's company became involved in the disaster shelter industry in the mid-1990s through Radius Defense, a New Hampshire firm that builds fiberglass tanks in which people can take sanctuary in times of crisis. That time, Eckhoff said, could be in years to come. Or it could be tomorrow.

"These threats have been out there for a long time," he said. "Now, they turn on the TV and it's right there in their living room, and there are no solutions offered. We're told to be vigilant, hug our children and go about things as we normally would." That's not reality, he said. It's denial.

"Everyone in the industry has a sense of frustration," Eckhoff said. "People would rather spend money on motor homes, vacations or swimming pools than contingency plans."

Other countries, including Israel and Switzerland, are more proactive in planning for disaster; the Swiss even have a 20,000-room hospital bunkered into a mountain, Eckhoff said.

He wants Americans to survive, as well. Eckhoff has built shelters in Colorado, Texas and Montana, among other areas. He declined to be specific about locations because he doesn't want the ill-prepared to inundate his clients' shelters if - when - the time comes. He also declined to say if he has a shelter of his own.

His company offers planning and design for shelters that typically range in size from 400 to 800 square feet. The walls are 2 feet thick, the ceiling, 3. Shelters feature doors that can withstand nuclear blasts, valves that close to protect occupants against extreme pressure changes, secondary exits, decontamination rooms, a communications center and potable, gray-water and sanitation systems.

Many have light boxes that emulate sunlight. Laser photos in window boxes depict the outdoors. Solar, diesel and battery power provide clean air and water to occupants. And rooms can be used in everyday life, so people aren't as intimidated by them when they need to use them in an emergency. Food, fuel and water storage areas vary in size depending on the number of people who will occupy the shelter and how long they could need to stay underground.

Kleen Air Technologies uses concrete because it's the "ultimate building product," Eckhoff said. "Anything that's built to last is built out of concrete."

"It's the ultimate contingency plan," Eckhoff said. "I walk through with clients, and it's like a weight lifts off their shoulders. They know they are among that small percentage of people in the world who have that type of protection."

He believes people owe it to themselves - particularly if they have children.