Sous le faste et le glamour de Las Vegas se cache un monde méconnu de la plupart des gens : un réseau de tunnels souterrains d'évacuation des crues qui s'étend sur des kilomètres. Initialement construits pour protéger la ville des crues soudaines, ces tunnels sont devenus le refuge d'une communauté secrète qui cherche à s'abriter de la chaleur accablante du désert à la surface. Nombre des résidents sont bienveillants et veillent les uns sur les autres, créant ainsi une société souterraine unique. Les tunnels sont dangereux, particulièrement pendant les tempêtes où les eaux de crue peuvent surgir sans avertissement. C’est un contraste saisissant avec les lumières étincelantes de Vegas au-dessus, nous rappelant que la ville a des couches bien au-delà des casinos et des spectacles. Animation créée par Sympa.
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Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com
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Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com
Pour ne rien perdre de Sympa, abonnez-vous!: https://goo.gl/6E4Xna
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Nos réseaux sociaux :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sympasympacom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sympa.officiel/
Stock de fichiers (photos, vidéos et autres):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
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Si tu en veux encore plus, fais un tour ici:
http://sympa-sympa.com
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FunTranscript
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?