Local folks looking into shelter from Da Big One

The surge of interest in home fallout shelters — assuming 65 local inquiries constitute a surge — is interesting, though not unexpected. Nobody relishes that feeling of helplessness that engulfed residents during the Jan. 13 false missile alert.

One manufacturer advertises privacy about purchases: The steel trusses are shipped in, while the concrete is poured on-site. No tell-tale cranes lifting stuff in place to attract the neighbors’ stares.

Still, one wonders if it would be so bad if the neighbors found out: Surely having a safe room boosts property values.

Work moving ahead on Honouliuli monument site

Three years ago this week, the site of a World War II internment camp was designated as Honouliuli National Monument. Today, the National Park Service, in partnership with stakeholders, is pushing forward with efforts to prepare the Waipahu site for an opening that’s yet to be set. Among the work slated for this year: a wildlife survey and archaeological documentation of roads and trails.

Over the course of its three-year operation, some 400 civilian internees and 4,000 prisoners of war were held at Honouliuli. Following closure in 1946, the camp was bulldozed and abandoned. However, historic features such as building foundations and artifacts remain.