00:00Where in the world can you find the Eiffel Tower a few kilometers away from the Trevi Fountain?
00:05Yes, you guessed it, in Las Vegas.
00:09In this city, we consume 27,000 kilos of shrimp per day,
00:13and we celebrate about 150 weddings every 24 hours.
00:17But here's the most fascinating thing.
00:19A hidden world is just below all these pretty neon lights.
00:26Welcome to Vegas number 2.
00:28It's not the show you're used to, but it's just as incredible.
00:33I'm talking about a vast network of tunnels that extends over more than 965 kilometers,
00:38crossing the city's basement in every direction,
00:40and built to evacuate water from the most intense floods.
00:43You heard right, floods.
00:46Las Vegas is an artificial city built in the middle of the Morave Desert,
00:50where the average summer temperature is 37.8 degrees Celsius.
00:54With this heat, it's not surprising that the water there is rare.
00:58Las Vegas has very limited water resources,
01:01so 90% of all its water comes from the Colorado River.
01:06Rainwater and groundwater from the snow of the rocky mountains
01:09are sent by pipeline to Las Vegas more than 160 kilometers away.
01:14Water is such a precious resource that the owners of the suburbs of the city
01:18are sanctioned if they exceed their quota,
01:20for example, by watering their lawns.
01:22And yet, the urbanists had to design a gigantic system
01:26so that the floods wouldn't do any damage.
01:30Las Vegas has really come a long way since its modest beginnings.
01:34A desert is rarely a place where real estate developers arrive and say,
01:38we're going to build a megacity here.
01:40But the south of Nevada was a rich region in gold,
01:43in silver, and in other types of ore.
01:46And it was located between Los Angeles and Silver Lake City,
01:49which, at the turn of the last century, was one of the most promising markets.
01:53There was only one thing missing. Water.
01:56The promoters thought that if we could find water in the region,
02:00it would be fertile and rich.
02:02They found a solution to capture it,
02:04but then they encountered another problem.
02:10Generally, in the deserts, when it rains, it's adverse.
02:14The region receives about 10 centimeters of annual rainfall,
02:17but 75% of all this water falls in a few hours,
02:21and it's chaos.
02:22The hard soils are unable to absorb everything,
02:25and the authorities therefore had to build a second underground city.
02:30Today, Las Vegas is one of the most visited cities in the United States.
02:35It is ranked sixth.
02:37It welcomes about 30 million visitors each year,
02:40and it is also the world capital of entertainment.
02:44So yes, the authorities had to find a solution
02:47to prevent everything from going wrong every time it rained.
02:53It wasn't always like that.
02:55The worst flood in the history of Las Vegas occurred in the 1990s.
02:59A huge storm hit the city,
03:01and because of the flood, which caused nearly $20 million in damage,
03:05more than 300 people were displaced.
03:07All this happened during the mousseau season,
03:10known for its heavy rainfall.
03:13The valley of Las Vegas is nestled between mountains,
03:16a bit like a gigantic bowl,
03:18and when it rains, all the water flows down the slopes into the urban area.
03:22After the flood of 1998-10,
03:25the authorities took things into their own hands
03:27and began to build the infrastructure we talked about.
03:30Today, these tunnels are strong enough
03:33to face everything the desert reserves for them.
03:37Las Vegas is undeniably one of the craziest cities on the planet,
03:42and it is known to be one of the brightest places on Earth.
03:45In 2010, NASA published an image taken by astronauts
03:49from the International Space Station.
03:52The crew was amazed to see how clearly these bright lights appeared.
03:56In fact, Las Vegas shines even more intensely
03:59than densely populated places such as Hong Kong and Tokyo.
04:03But although the city is very bright on the surface,
04:06the network of tunnels under it is rather dark.
04:09For hundreds of people, these tunnels are a home.
04:13Some have lived there for more than a decade.
04:16There are entrances to the tunnels all over the city.
04:19They pass under hotel complexes such as the Cesar Palace,
04:22the Rio, the Flamingo, and so on.
04:25In some tunnels, it is necessary to go down to move forward,
04:28while in others, a giant could walk.
04:30They are, of course, wet and dark,
04:32and they not only prevent floods,
04:34they shelter dynamic communities.
04:38This is Paul.
04:39He is one of the most famous characters
04:41of the underground labyrinth of Las Vegas.
04:43He has lived in these tunnels for three years.
04:46Now, he goes back there every time someone needs help to get out.
04:51During his first month in the tunnels,
04:53Paul was welcomed by a group of veterans.
04:56He quickly realized that this city in the form of a labyrinth
04:59had its own social rules that he had to respect.
05:02The one who wanders there is immediately put at the door.
05:06Each tunnel has its own customs, rituals,
05:09and some unofficial leaders who drive the operations.
05:12When they arrive, the newcomers usually sleep on a bed
05:15located at the entrance of a tunnel.
05:17Their job is to watch and report any suspicious noise.
05:20If they do not respect the rules,
05:22they may notice at their awakening
05:24that their business has mysteriously disappeared.
05:30Life in the labyrinth city has its share of oddities
05:33that remind life above.
05:36Some people bring chairs, beds, tables, and even barbecues.
05:40Basically, everything that can be recovered on the sidewalks
05:43and in the benches to improve comfort.
05:46There is just one problem.
05:48The tunnels tend to absorb raw water,
05:51so it is necessary to raise everything by a few centimeters.
05:55You will therefore see beds and libraries perched
05:58like on scaffolding sheltered from the rising water.
06:02When the inhabitants feel the rain approaching,
06:04they rush to gather everything they want to protect
06:07and transport it to the exits of the tunnels.
06:10There is no drinking water down there at all,
06:12and the electricity only comes from batteries and batteries.
06:15This is Paul's mission today.
06:17He distributes water, food,
06:19and flashlights to anyone in need.
06:22In addition, he informs people that he is there
06:24to help all those who are looking for a way out of the tunnels
06:27but feel stuck.
06:29And the craziest thing?
06:31The name Las Vegas comes from Spanish
06:33and means the prairies.
06:35But it's a desert now, isn't it?
06:37Well, in prehistoric times,
06:39Las Vegas was actually humid and green.
06:43The sources of Las Vegas were once located on the surface,
06:46and everything was green.
06:48Over time, the tides have gone underground
06:50and the valley has become arid
06:52and remains so to this day.
06:57While you enjoy the sun of Nevada at the César Palace,
07:00a whole dynamic community lives and operates
07:02just below the famous hotel.
07:05Urban explorer Drew Binsky
07:07explored these enigmatic tunnels for a whole day.
07:10His guide was Paul,
07:12because it's dangerous to go down there alone
07:14if you don't know anyone.
07:16It's completely dark down there,
07:18and most residents don't know if it's day or night outside.
07:21It's pretty easy to lose track of time.
07:24Today, Paul is the executive director of Shine a Light,
07:27a non-profit awareness program.
07:30Its role is to help people who live in the tunnels.
07:34The association helps people in their daily life,
07:36whatever their situation.
07:38If they choose to leave the tunnels
07:40and start a new life,
07:42Paul helps them with a professional training
07:44and shows them how to restart their life.
07:48But there are not only humans in these mysterious tunnels.
07:51This labyrinth is actually a rich habitat.
07:54Birds have settled their nests here,
07:57wild vegetation creates numerous cracks,
08:00and even some adventurous red fish
08:02have found their way upstream
08:04from external water sources.
08:06These tunnels also house some of the most original
08:09graffiti galleries in the United States.
08:11These artists usually paint near the entrances,
08:14because that's where they get the most light of the day.
08:17You will see a whole array of works there,
08:19meaningless scribbles,
08:21coarse tags,
08:23refined with sharp and precise lines,
08:25born from a well-visible process of reflection,
08:28and full of styles similar to those of
08:30painters like Georges Braque or Fernand Léger.
08:33Who would have thought that Las Vegas
08:35had so much to offer beyond all this?
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