The other day I wrote about Daniel Suelo, who gave up money and now lives in a cave, surviving off what he can get without buying it. The other day, I read another article that reminded me that, for green reasons or not, many people are turning to alternative ways of living.
Steven and Kathryn may look like a typical Las Vegas couple, but there is one big difference – they live in the flood tunnels of the city. If you have ever been to the city, you can imagine the flood tunnels aren’t used much because it is dry in Vegas, so about 700 people have gathered there to form a “community.” The couple has to prop their dresser up on crates to keep it dry, but they have a makeshift kitchen and shower in their tunnel home. They even have a double bed and bookshelf filled with books in their home located under Caesar’s Palace.
However, living in the flood tunnels isn’t completely safe. In the past 20 years, 20 underground dwellers have been killed by flooding. There are also black widow spiders and mosquitoes in the damp living conditions. Yet, Stephen and Kathryn have been living there for two years.
Why do people live in the flood tunnels? It keeps them from being homeless. The police don’t bother the dwellers (although I suspect living there is illegal) and it is cooler than the Vegas streets, which can reach temps into the 100s. Stephen says he ended up homeless after having a heroin addiction. The couple makes money by looking for slot machines that have credits left behind by gamblers. That may be as much as $20 a night. The couple also scrounges local dumpsters for stuff at night, because Stephen says it is too embarrassing to do it during the day.
Stephen wants to leave the tunnels someday, but right now, two outstanding warrants for his arrest keep him underground. To read more about the tunnel community, check out author Matthew O’Brien’s book titled Beneath the Neon.
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