How to Live Underground

Full Playlist:    • Disaster Survival & Worst-Case Scenarios  
-
-
Watch more Disaster Survival & Worst-Case Scenarios videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/404214-...

Life on the surface feeling kind of shallow? Check out these tips on how to live underground!

Step 1: Go below the surface
Find a way to get below street level; look for paths to subway tunnels, sewer systems, or storm drains and use them as entrance points. Then, muster your courage and head underground.

Step 2: Find a space
Choose a spot for your new dwelling; use a flashlight to find relatively level ground that no other human or animal has claimed.

Tip
Try to live near a grate you can use for water catchment and natural light, and an electrical outlet where you can plug in appliances.

Step 3: Make a home
Return to the surface and scavenge for items to turn your underground spot into a home. Look for something solid to protect you from noise and dirt and help you maintain privacy, and a few amenities to make your quarters a little cozier.

Step 4: Stay fed
Find ways to obtain food, earn money, and stay clean. Investigate trash bins outside restaurants for leftovers, take the occasional odd job, locate public restrooms or showers to wash yourself in -- anything that helps you survive without committing to regular life above the surface.

Step 5: Be safe
Protect yourself from underground dangers. Form associations with neighbors to help guard against other subsurface dwellers who want to move in on your territory and to stay updated on floods, fires, and other natural disasters. Keep an eye out for rats, poisonous spiders, and other vermin that transmit deadly diseases.

Tip
Approach underground neighbors carefully -- some people may not like you intruding on their lives.

Step 6: Lighten up
Don't get too attached to your living situation -- private construction projects, urban development, and acts of nature can cause sudden changes to underground conditions. If you're forced to move, pick up your most important belongings, keep a positive mindset, and set out for a new area where the sun don't shine.

Did You Know?
In 2009, as many as 700 people were living in tunnels underneath the Las Vegas strip, according to one report.