There's Actually A Whole Civilization Of 'Mole People' Living Beneath Las Vegas
The term "Mole People" conjures up a lot of urban legend style ideas — but it shouldn’t! Underneath the brightly lit Las Vegas Strip, there’s a not so secret society that’s existed for decades. And according to journalist Matthew O’Brien, who researched the area for 12 years, the tunnels “can be quiet and almost boring for 90 percent of the time then the other 10 percent is chaos.”
Taking To The Tunnels
It all started back in the 1990s when a series of flood tunnels were built beneath the city of Las Vegas. No one knows for sure when people first began to move in, though. Like New York City's subway system, they provided an accessible shelter from the elements.
The Entrance
Tunnel entrances look like any regular overpass. Take a few steps inside, however, and you’ll find a massive network of tunnels that, according to the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, stretches 300 miles underground. This network attracts people for a number of reasons.
Who's Down There?
For many, the reality of living in the tunnels is that there isn’t another option. Homelessness affects many for all sorts of reasons, from lack of access to mental health resources, poverty, job loss, addiction, and beyond. But in the tunnels, there’s shelter —and a lot more.
Be Prepared
There are also those who choose to live house-less lives, travelers who stop and stay in the tunnel briefly. To go inside, you need to be prepared for a society that functions differently. As some residents say, sometimes you can't even tell whether it's night or day.
Light At The End Of The Tunnel
"Sometimes, when our clock says six o'clock, you don't know whether it's...morning or in the evening," said Shay, a 53-year-old woman who calls the tunnels home. "If some light comes in at the end of the tunnel, we know: It's daytime." It's no wonder some view their lives underground as exile.
Life Of Exile
As Anthony, who took to the tunnels after getting released from prison, said to Business Insider, "This is how society treats us: They want us to be invisible — but we are here, we want to be seen. Our story must be heard." So how does it look inside?
No Plumbing
There’s no plumbing in the tunnels, which a resident named Angell claimed was the most difficult part of her underground home. Still, some residents have gotten creative. A woman named Rusty and her husband use a whirlpool as a standing bath.
More Permanent Setups
Some manage to set up rather comfortable spaces in tunnels, with full-size furniture, usually a mark of a person who's settled there for years. Having so many permanent fixtures does pose a major complication, though, in the event of a sudden rainstorm.
Worst Fear
The tunnels were built when a 1975 flood devastated Las Vegas. While rainfall isn’t common there, it’s the biggest fear for the people who live underground. In the rare instance of heavy desert rain, tunnel residents drop must everything and flee.
-375w.jpg)
Flood Tragedies
That fear is justified. There are several documented deaths as a result of tunnel floods. As recently as 2017, multiple residents drowned when water poured inside and swept them away in the current. Exposure-related deaths are still something local Las Vegas officials are still trying to find solutions for, but there are other more preventable risks.
Emergency Situations
Overdoses are another difficult reality of tunnel life, which can pose a real logistical problem. Emergency Service personnel aren't always able to locate people inside. Another hard truth is sometimes tunnel residents delay calling the authorities out of fear of their own arrest.
Crime Hub
Given their isolated nature, the tunnels are a hotbed for illegal activity. As Angell explained, “There are no cameras here and I've even heard of murders.” While some residents live in fear of danger, others prefer the tunnels stay out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Though, all residents know inviting in the authorities comes with a risk.
Abrupt Displacement
Due to concerns about crime, police presence has increased. The emphasis on safety is important, but residents feel law enforcement dramatically disrupts life in the tunnels. In some cases, the homeless are forced to leave their possessions behind and immediately vacate the premises.
Home To Thousands
It’s estimated that some 2,000 people currently live in the underground flood tunnel system. As a man name Craig told The Sun, “I wouldn’t want to be homeless anywhere else. We’re out of sight out of mind here in Vegas.”
Covered In Art
Given its size, the system has attracted much attention from television shows to news crews, as well as hundreds of graffiti artists who leave mesmerizing murals. However, it's not recommended to visit as any sort of attraction. The tunnels are considered one of the most dangerous spots in Las Vegas.
Casino Neighbors
Conveniently located right by some of the best casinos in the world, some tunnel residents have worked out ways to benefit from that proximity. A man named Stephen explained how he cruises the casinos for abandoned chips which, on his best day, resulted in a $997 haul.
Shine A Light
Meanwhile, Matthew O’Brien, the journalist who spent 12 years visiting and conducting interviews inside the flood tunnels to write his book Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, founded the Shine a Light Foundation that offers a variety of services its residents.
Will Remain Open
While the city continues to work on housing and other solutions to help the homeless, the tunnels will continue to remain a shelter for those who have lived there for decades. There’s no shortage of space and won’t be in the foreseeable future.
Under Construction
Just like pretty much every single city infrastructure project in history, the tunnel construction is still ongoing! Yep, the Las Vegas Flood Control District is still working to expand its massively wide tunnel system, built to carry millions of gallons of rushing rainwater to Lake Mead.
Beneath The Desert
The Mole People of Las Vegas draw frequent comparisons to the residents of "the rat tribe." Sleeping far below street level and surviving off artificial lights, these underground dwellers live out their lives in a situation that would be nightmarish to most people—but the even stranger part is why.
Beijing Rat Tribe
"Better safe than sorry" has been the motto of preparedness advocates for centuries, and despite the hysteria and paranoia that typically follows this kind of advocacy, it's usually never a bad thing to think ahead. That's exactly what the leaders of Beijing did over fifty years ago. During the days of the Cold War communist leaders invested in one strange project that's come to aid their people in the present.
Mounting Tensions
During the height of the Cold War, China and the Soviet Union were at odds over differing political ideologies. With a willingness on both sides to escalate their conflict to war, the threat of nuclear catastrophe loomed larger than ever. Tensions reached such a high that Chairman Mao Zedong ordered the people of China to begin work on a massive underground tunnel system.
Down Below
Over 300,000 men, women, and children were put to work on the project, constructing 10,000 bomb shelters connected by nearly 20 miles of tunnel. Ancient structures and cultural landmarks were toppled for the sake of Mao's vision, with nearly all of China's resources being poured into the endeavor.
Great Potential
By the end of the decade, 75 of China's largest cities had been outfitted with enormous underground bunkers. With the shelters capable of housing roughly 60% of each city's population, the survival of the Chinese people amidst the imminent nuclear war was all but guaranteed.
For Nothing?
But the bombs never fell, and Mao Zedong's death in 1976 quelled the fears of annihilation at the hands of the Russians. With new leader Deng Xiaoping ushering in a "golden age" of socialism in China, it appeared that Mao's massive undertaking had all been for naught.
No Waste
Being the economic mind that he was, however, Deng refused to let such a significant – and costly – project simply crumble into obscurity beneath the streets of China. Through the Office of Civil Defense, the country began an initiative to commercialize the abandoned bunkers.
Transformed
Over the next two decades, laborers transformed Mao's defunct tunnel system into a network of underground cities, the largest of which formed beneath the sprawling Chinese capital of Beijing. Complete with supermarkets, schools, clinics, and even karate dojos, this project represented another leap forward for China's expanding economy.
Homes
But even after these spaces were repurposed, the Chinese government continued to push forward with their subterranean efforts by mandating that all new buildings have underground defense shelters that could double as a source of income. And so, in addition to stores and clinics, these bunkers became homes.
Growing Populations
Today, over 1 million people live below the streets of Beijing, clustered in small communities that range from a few dozen to over a hundred individuals strong. Residents of this underground city are known as the shuzu, or, more commonly, "the rat tribe".
The Rat Tribe
This peculiar society is mostly made up of young migrants from the countryside who arrived in search of affordable housing in Beijing. And with an average rent of 400 yuan a month – roughly $58 – for one of these rooms, they're sure getting what they're paying for.
Windowless
Each windowless room is typically between 40 to 100 square feet, just big enough to fit a small bed and a dresser or two. Some aren't so lucky, as there are those that can only afford to stay in rooms that are shared by up to a dozen other people.
Communcal Bathrooms
As far as amenities go, a single communal bathroom serves as a dumping point for personal bedpans, and at 50 cents a pop, one can help themselves to a lukewarm, five-minute shower. But despite the poor living conditions, some residents see their situation as motivation.
Its Own Comfort
"Many of my colleagues live above ground, but I think it's too comfortable," said Wei Kun, an insurance salesman who shares his 300-square-foot apartment with nine other men. "This place forces me to work harder."
Judgment
But even so, a tremendous amount of stigma still surrounds those that call themselves members of "the rat tribe." Some individuals won't even tell their families where they're living out of fear of judgment.
"He Cried"
"When my father came to visit me he cried when he saw where I lived," aspiring actor Zhang Xi recalled. "He said, 'Son, this won't do.'" Unfortunately, the Chinese government's stance on the issue has only grown increasingly mixed as the years have gone on...
Possible Safety Risks
Though city officials have expressed concern over the safety risks involved with underground living, most have chosen to turn a blind eye to the practice. With overcrowding becoming a growing problem in Beijing, there's really no other place for these individuals to go.
Cram
"We never allowed residential use of air-raid shelters," said Xu Jinbao, office director of the Beijing Municipal Civil Defense Office. "But as time went by Beijing became so populous that people started to cram in underground."
Making the Most
Despite the hardship and controversy surrounding "the rat tribe," it appears that they're making the most of the situation while keeping their eyes set on what lies ahead. For these individuals, life underground is not a product of hard times, but rather a calculated sacrifice for the future.
"Positive Spirit"
"I found a lot of people still hope one day to buy a house, or at least to live above ground," sociologist Li Junfu observed while studying underground housing at the Beijing University of Technology. “They have a positive spirit.”
No comments: