Researching Life In The Tunnels

Today I began looking into people in the modern day that live in underground places. For many different circumstances people find themselves seeking shelter underground. Some for financial reasons, some are born into these conditions, some choose to live in this way, there is an endless amount of reasons. However, some examples of which I have found demonstrate the different realities of those living underground.

My first example Bucharest , Romania 'Sever Kids'. Here an entire community lives underground, stemming from conflict in 1989 when the communist regime was overthrown and Romanian orphanages closed down. Because of this thousands of children were forced onto the streets, many of whom took shelter in the sewers where heated steam pipes kept them from freezing to death. Now an entire generation has grown up in the sewers a new generation have joined them in the shelter. An estimated 1,100 of them are children, either born or voluntarily join the community.

"The Tunnel People Of Las Vegas" is my second example. Between 200-300 people are estimated to live inside the storm drain tunnels below Las Vegas. After the tunnel was built and opened in the 1990's, the homeless began moving into the tunnel. Nobody had noticed this until 2002 when a criminal used the tunnel as his escape route. Many people choose the storm drain over local hostels because of their partners or pets are not allowed to stay.