The tunnel people of Las Vegas: How 1,000 live in flooded labyrinth under Sin City's shimmering str

The tunnel people of Las Vegas: How 1,000 live in flooded labyrinth under Sin City's shimmering strip

www.dailymail.co.uk

Deep beneath Vegas’s glittering lights lies a sinister labyrinth inhabited by poisonous spiders and a man nicknamed The Troll who wields an iron bar.

But astonishingly, the 200 miles of flood tunnels are also home to 1,000 people who eke out a living in the strip’s dark underbelly.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is amazing... there are some crazy photos on this page to, which I haven't uploaded here, but I encourage you to check out the link.

So basically while I'm partying down up in Caesars Palace, these folks are gettin their addiction on UNDER the same place. Only no shiny slot machines or mirrors on the ceiling.

I remember one time I took my employees out to a sushi dinner at Roku which lasted 3 hours and cost over $2k.... It's odd to think about this stuff happening right under us...



www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Star and flag!

I just spotted this on Truthseeker.co.uk simultaneously. Really strange way to live looks kind of post apocalyptic! Maybe this will catch on in other cities too, and we will have a literal underground society, like in the movie Demolition Man...

Watch out for those rat burgers!

reply to post by HunkaHunka


The people in the photos look nice, but I am betting that place is rife with dangerous tweakers. And there absolutely should not be children living down there. The article says there is evidence of that being the case. Something should be done about that... damp floors, no sunlight... sounds awful. And someone named The Troll?

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Brilliant find!

If any of the guys over at the Survivalist forum need some tips on urban survival techniques after an apocalypse then these are the guys that they need to talk to, they are living it everyday of their lives!

I hope those people pay close attention to the weather forecasts because there can be some nasty flash floods pushing down those storm drains during a desert rain storm. Secondly, all that furniture could seriously clog up the storm drain system during a downpour. Why are they allowed to set up shop down there? Seems to be both dangerous and potentially costly if it restricts run off from draining properly and flooding a part of the city.

We can sit here and say anything we want... But come the day that the SHTF... These people will be the most comfortable people on the planet.. Heck they will be happy.. They will have new neighbors.

I saw something on Discovery about this a few years ago.. In Vegas, when it rains.. The flood waters are crazy.. The rain turns into a raging torrent quickly.. I have to assume it is very dangerous down there when it rains really hard.

If you like this, you may dig "The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City" by Jennifer Toth. Really powerful, heartbreaking read. It's weird to think that of all the homeless we have in the DC area, some may live in the Metro tunnels. The trains routinely blow their horns going through the tunnels, I wonder if it is because there is an underground population...

omg...so much stuff from old movies are reality now...

Seems they are ready for incomming. Also can those tunnels still flood?
2nd

Originally posted by angrydog
omg...so much stuff from old movies are reality now...

edit on 4-11-2010 by angrydog because: add

I know like C.H.U.D.
2nd

Truth is, things like this have been going on for a while now.

We are seeing more and more of these, like the tunnels under Beijing that you can get to in some back alleys.

Folks lived in the catacombs as well for a long time...

Personally I think this is what we as humans do... we seek out "territory" and then dig in.

Even with the addicts etc which live there, its a surprising testament to what we as humans can actually do when it comes to basic survival.

Folks, this 'news' story is at least 2 years old.

From someone who had been studying the tunnels for five years already

Also, the Daily Mail is not a great news source - they tend to jazz things up all the time.

Google for "las vegas tunnels" to see more accurate accounts.
For a start there's over 300 miles of tunnels, not 200.

Matt O'Brien, a Las Vegas writer, published a book about this way back in 2007.

Beneath the Neon

I've lived in Vegas for 3 years now and always wondered how many homeless die in flash floods. We'd never really know the numbers. Vegas has what they call "monsoon season" which in my opinion should be called flood season. Just ask south east Asia. This years flood season was very light. However, last week we had 3 days of good rain. I've known the faces of my neighborhoods homeless and where they hang out, but durring the rain I noticed many more around the hood. I assume that theese are the self susstained non-panhandling type that you never see until they're forced out of the tunnels.

I must admit I've immagined what it would be like to move underground while still being employed. Saving all the money I spend on rent. Sell everything except my lap top and wi-fi card. But then again I would have to sell my drum set.

reply to post by Chi-and-Me


Have you ever been down there?

reply to post by HunkaHunka


No I have not been deep into the tunnels. But I once had a conversation with a homeless man who lived in the opening of a tunnel. He was struggling to get out of the ditch. He was very clean with nicer shoes than mine so I had no idea he was homeless. I thought he had fallen or been mugged. So I asked if he needed my cell phone, he said no but asked for spare change. He gave me his life story and was proud to show me the damn he built that moves the water around his belongings. I only took a few steps in before getting too nervous. I think most of these people live at the tunnel openings. They are all closer than you think because unlike New York or other big cities the majority of the tunnels are directly under foot.

Why do we put up with the way our people are forced to live? When about 1% have 99% of the wealth and could easily end poverty in the most powerful country in the world? Whats wrong with us all that we do not demand a more humane way of life?

It is because we have become...most of us....selfish. Me it has become all about me and mine and you cant have any of it. If we demand that the super elite do not spread the share they have STOLEN through crooked deals and ruining lives.

No reason for this. None. If we can send warships around the world and smash countries into ruin we can easily keep a safety net for our people.

We are all just a few tragic steps that could lead any of us to substance abuse and insanity.

The day of reckoning is close.

reply to post by Chi-and-Me


Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I wonder if there are any photos of these tunnel entrances anywhere...

reply to post by HunkaHunka


No problem. And yes, the link you provided shows a picture of one. The next to last pic with the Excalaber and N.Y N.Y. Casinos ( on "the strip") in the background shows such an entrance. I know this exact spot, it is less than a mile from my work. And i ride a bicycle so i'm very in touch with the streets. This one is a convergence of a few different sewers, so that they can go under interstate 15 (in background). However most have only one entrance unlike the 4 shown in pic.

reply to post by harrytuttle


Where are they supposed to go?

2nd line.