Meet the Residents of Sin City's Flood Tunnels

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-09-27 15:29:00 UTC
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What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Or beneath it. Underneath the glitz and glamor of America's infamous strip exists a hidden community. Roughly 700 homeless people call the dank and deadly flood tunnels of Sin City "home."

According to The Sun, a UK paper, there are over 350 miles of tunnels beneath Las Vegas. But the majority of the hidden community stays right beneath downtown Las Vegas. They survive by hustling casino machines (finding unclaimed credits on machines), dumpster diving, and - every now and then - panhandling.

Many of the tunnel residents have lived in the tunnels for several years. Many are there because of economic woes, addictions, or a combination of circumstances. Others are just working poor; one man living in the tunnels works full time. They stay despite the significant risks posed by disease, highly venomous spiders and flooding washing them away, according to The Sun. Although heavy rains are rare in Nevada, heavy rains are dangerous for those living in the tunnels. In the past 20 years, 20 individuals have died of drowning in the tunnels beneath the city.

Matthew O'Brien, author of Beneath the Neon, an expose about the hidden community, works extensively with local charities to move residents of the tunnel into housing. He told The Sun that they don't actively distribute supplies to make life under the city more comfortable; many are resistant enough to leave the depths of the tunnel as it is.

See more photos of Las Vegas' hidden tunnel community after the jump.

All images from The Sun.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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