Original subtitles

Narrator: dark tunnels Filled with the remains

Of millions of bodies.

Selwood: it's like You're disappearing

Into an underworld For which there is no map.

Narrator: A heavily fortified structure

That's been ripped apart.

We're used to seeing Engineering imposed on the land.

But here, we see A natural revenge

Of nature against engineering.

Of nature against engineering.

Narrator: and alien-looking Buildings on the open ocean.

Meigs: this place Is really isolated,

And that might be a clue

As to why it was built Here in the first place.

Narrator: engineering marvels Now abandoned,

Ruins shrouded in mystery.

Within these decaying structures Are the echoes of history.

They speak of death And destruction,

But also human ingenuity And endeavor.

But also human ingenuity And endeavor.

Each haunted shell Ready to be unmasked

And tell its own unique story.

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

*

20 miles east Of berlin, germany,

Set amongst thick woods And peaceful lakes

Set amongst thick woods And peaceful lakes

Is an innocuous-looking Complex of buildings.

*

Nothing about this site betrays

The dark secrets That lie at its heart

Until you explore A small anonymous building

Quietly tucked away.

Inside a spartan office,

Equipment speaks Of a different age.

But this is just the Entrance to a secret world.

But this is just the Entrance to a secret world.

Gough: at first, it looks like A typical leisure center

Or a sports complex.

But then, beneath, Hidden from prying eyes,

Is a secret underground bunker.

Narrator: rooms full of Industrial-scale machinery

Once powered this covert site.

And judging By the equipment on show,

Security must have been vital.

Bell: rooms packed full of Monitors and listening devices.

It looks like something Straight out of a spy movie.

It looks like something Straight out of a spy movie.

Narrator: why the sophisticated Surveillance?

Were they watching Willing subjects?

A clue to this Facility's sinister past

Can be found behind A curious door.

Nusbacher: this is the kind of Door you'd expect to see

Inside a submarine.

Bell: can you imagine

Bell: can you imagine

Descending down Into this secret chamber,

Entering through a Submarine-style pressure lock?

Must've been A daunting experience.

Narrator: Inside lurks a huge chamber

Full of training equipment.

A room packed with medical Supplies eerily awaits visitors.

And other haunting Rooms lie silent.

Nusbacher: Why would you create this?

Nusbacher: Why would you create this?

And then, why would you hide it?

I find that really creepy.

*

Narrator: Hard to believe now,

But this facility was Once at the epicenter

Of an ideological struggle Between east and west.

During the cold war,

This site was firmly Behind the iron curtain

As part of communist East germany,

As part of communist East germany,

Known as the german Democratic republican or gdr.

And at that time, a proxy War was being fought

On sports fields Around the world.

Nusbacher: so, the communist Athletes had to win

For the greater glory, not Of their country so much,

But for the greater Glory of communism.

And the east german athletes Also had the burden

And the east german athletes Also had the burden

Of the fact that east germans

Thought that they were Absolutely the best communists.

Narrator: multiple-olympic Kayaking champion

Torsten gutsche remembers This intense rivalry.

[ gutsche speaking german ]

Interpreter: The gdr has always been

One of the most successful Canoe nations in the world.

There was ongoing competition

Between hungarian, gdr, And russian athletes,

Between hungarian, gdr, And russian athletes,

Who were also very strong.

The gdr was a small country.

And, of course, as A socialist state,

They wanted to prove to The capitalist countries

That socialism was Superior to capitalism.

And, of course, sport was one Of the best ways to prove it.

East german athletes Did very, very well.

Over and over again, East german athletes

Succeeded in International competition.

Succeeded in International competition.

Narrator: for a decade Stretching from 1976,

East germany won more medals

Than all but the World's two superpowers

And broke numerous World records,

Punching well above their weight

In terms of Population and status.

But a murky secret lay Behind all this glory.

It used to be that East german athletes

It used to be that East german athletes

Were known for being completely Pumped up on steroids...

...Which resulted in liver Damage, reproductive damage,

Birth defects for Their children,

Tremendous difficulty For decades to come.

Bell: the health of east Germany's young athletes

Was sacrificed in the name Of glory and propaganda.

Narrator: and the east german Government was complicit.

Narrator: and the east german Government was complicit.

A directive called State plan 14.25

Coordinated A sophisticated system

Of steroid use Throughout the country.

But the world was getting Wise to their dishonesty.

Nusbacher: all of the athletic Governing boards in the world,

The olympic committees, The athletics commissions,

The olympic committees, The athletics commissions,

They were all starting To do blood testing,

So the east germans Could no longer cheat

By using steroids.

Narrator: So, how could east germany

Continue to stay ahead Of the competition?

Their answer was this --

The kienbaum training facility.

[ gutsche speaking german ]

Interpreter: This was a top-secret location.

Therefore, it was a great honor

Therefore, it was a great honor

For us athletes to train here.

It was very impressive.

Bell: this secret facility Was developed

As an alternative to The steroid programs

That had served The east germans so well.

Narrator: built in 1979, This state-of-the-art center

Was fitted with All the usual gear --

Equipment you would expect to Find in any sports facility.

*

*

But why did they need A top-secret bunker

To achieve success

And what made this Chamber so unique?

*

Narrator: east of berlin,

Hidden in an otherwise-typical Leisure complex,

Is a peculiar sporting Chamber built in 1979.

Nusbacher: so, the east germans Create a sports training

And development facility That will be entirely done

At high-altitude air pressure.

At high-altitude air pressure.

That means very little oxygen,

Very little air pressure.

Narrator: a colossal ventilation System extracted air

Until it simulated the pressure

Found at an altitude Of 13,000 feet,

Inducing athletes to Produce more red blood cells

And increase endurance.

Nusbacher: They're hoping that the bodies

Are going to get used to Working with little oxygen.

Are going to get used to Working with little oxygen.

And then, when they go Back to regular altitude,

Their blood and their tissues Are going to be saturated

With all that lovely oxygen

And the east germans are Gonna keep on winning.

Narrator: this, however, Was no training utopia.

[ gutsche speaking german ]

Interpreter: compared to the Regular training outside,

It was very exhausting To train in here

It was very exhausting To train in here

Due to the simulated Altitude and air pressure.

It was physically Very demanding.

It was very monotonous.

The light in this room Was very unpleasant,

The air was unpleasant,

And the atmosphere was Very unpleasant, too.

Gough: For two weeks at a time,

They were locked in This underground bunker,

Training 12 hours a day With no natural light

And no understanding how This high-pressure chamber

And no understanding how This high-pressure chamber

Was affecting their Long-term health.

Nusbacher: you've gotta pity Those east german athletes.

They were good at their sports,

But that turned them Into special lab rats.

Narrator: The constant monitoring

Was not just for Performance analysis.

East germany's secret Police, the stasi,

Were notoriously ruthless,

And these athletes Were prized assets.

And these athletes Were prized assets.

[ gutsche speaking german ]

Interpreter: there was the issue Of national security

During the gdr era.

Therefore, you had to Be a bit more careful

With the people you didn't know.

There were cameras everywhere

And we didn't really understand Why they were filming.

Narrator: for some,

Living in this repressive Police state was too much.

More than 600 elite Sports men and women

More than 600 elite Sports men and women

Defected to the west.

Branded traitor athletes, Some were pursued by the stasi

Before the fall Of the berlin wall

And then the reunification Of germany in 1990.

Since then, numerous Athletes have claimed

They were either forcibly Or unwittingly doped

At kienbaum and other Facilities across east germany.

But while torsten knows he Never consciously doped,

He also believes He was fortunate

He also believes He was fortunate

And never given steroids.

He simply had to deal with

A strange-but-legal Underground environment

That pushed his Body to the limit

And left him with Unpleasant memories.

Interpreter: in this room, I had a very oppressive feeling.

We were sitting very Close to each other

And we were constantly Under control.

That's why we were quiet.

We didn't talk much

Because we didn't know Who might be listening.

And another question is,

And another question is,

Was this training Good for our health?

These are the questions Which I cannot answer.

*

Narrator: today, kienbaum Operates as an olympic

And paralympic training Facility for a united germany,

But its hidden Chamber lies empty,

A reminder Of a very different time.

This was a pioneering approach To sports performance.

This was a pioneering approach To sports performance.

You often hear of top Athletes or soccer teams

Going up into the mountains

At training camps At high altitude.

This was creating Those conditions,

But in a secret Underground bunker.

*

Narrator: in the beating heart Of paris, france,

Lies a dark secret buried Deep beneath the streets.

Bell: this has gotta be

One of the spookiest Places in the world.

It's a bit of a labyrinth.

Selwood: it's like you're Disappearing into an underworld.

There are no other places You've been that are like this.

Narrator: decorated tunnels Snake endlessly

Through the damp rock.

It's only when You look in detail

At what's making up Those ornate designs

At what's making up Those ornate designs

That you start realizing

This is something Completely different.

Selwood: the walls around you Begin to change.

At first, it's not Clear what's happening,

But then you begin to see

That around you Is no longer rock...

But human bones.

Bell: it's this confusing mix Of death and art.

You want to feel Horrified by what you see.

But somehow, at the same Time, you're drawn into it.

But somehow, at the same Time, you're drawn into it.

Narrator: these bones weren't Simply thrown in a pile,

Nor was this purely For functional storage.

Jerram: What a horror story to me.

That's a crazy kind Of place to be.

Bell: there has to have been A reason for doing this,

A reason that involved The whole city,

'cause there's just no way

That you could keep Something this big quiet.

Selwood: Why are there this many bodies

Buried just meters below one Of the world's greatest cities?

Buried just meters below one Of the world's greatest cities?

Narrator: The long stacks of human bones

Lining these tunnels have been Here for around 200 years.

But for the majority,

This wasn't their First resting place.

Bell: there were a number Of cemeteries around the city,

But they were swelling Under the weight

Of the huge number of Bodies they contained.

Of the huge number of Bodies they contained.

And you can imagine The stench of death

That was sweeping Through the streets

Being utterly unbearable.

Narrator: although paved over Today, in the 18th century,

Les innocents was the Largest cemetery in paris.

Having been a dumping Ground for dead bodies

For around 800 years,

An estimated 2 million People had been buried here.

An estimated 2 million People had been buried here.

Selwood: even the biggest Cemetery eventually gets full,

But the parisians Continued to stuff

Ever more bodies into them.

Bell: they'd run out Of space in the ground,

So they were Digging up old bones

And packing them into The roofs and walls

Of the buildings Surrounding the cemetery,

And it was only a matter of time

Before this would come Back to haunt them.

Narrator: In the spring of 1780,

Narrator: In the spring of 1780,

Unusually heavy rains began To add greater pressure

On the cemetery walls That were already buckling

Under the weight of the dead.

Selwood: these rains soaked Into the ground,

Expanding everything,

With the terrible consequence That the cemetery walls burst,

Causing a mixture,

A slurry of sodden earth And decomposing bodies

To slide out into the streets

And into The neighboring properties.

And into The neighboring properties.

Narrator: Archeologist sylvie robin

Explains how The french authorities

Reacted to this grisly event.

[ robin speaking french ]

Interpreter: A doctor was sent on location

To perform a health And safety assessment

And a decision was made

To evacuate the entire Area for public safety.

Bell: news of this gruesome And filthy site

Bell: news of this gruesome And filthy site

Seemed to be the final straw.

A solution had to Be found and fast.

Narrator: this dark subterranean World was the answer --

The paris catacombs.

Interpreter: We are currently 20 meters

Beneath the parisian streets

In the district of Denfert-rochereau

On the left bank.

We can see here a decoration

Which is cross-shaped inserted Into the wall of bones.

Which is cross-shaped inserted Into the wall of bones.

We can also see a repetition Of femurs and skulls,

Some of which are Presented facing outwards

And others showing The back of the skull.

And just behind there, Behind this wall,

Is a buildup of bones.

Narrator: But this attention to detail

Was a step beyond just Solving the city's problem.

This had thought And meaning to it.

So, was there a dark ulterior Purpose to this place?

A site of worship Of the dead perhaps,

Or something stranger still?

*

Narrator: In the 18th century,

With the cemeteries Of paris overflowing,

A quick solution was needed.

But to dig a vast Underground network like this

Would've taken decades.

So, how was this possible?

Selwood: some of The best-loved attractions,

Like the cathedral of Notre dame or the louvre,

Like the cathedral of Notre dame or the louvre,

Are built out of Parisian limestone.

This came from quarries

That originally were on The outskirts of paris

But, as the city expanded, Came to be under paris.

Rumors are that it's around

About 170 miles Worth of tunnels.

And man-made excavations Of the rocks,

Which were now beneath The feet of parisians,

They didn't really Know they were there.

Narrator: Mapping of the mines

Showed a vast network of tunnels

Showed a vast network of tunnels

And access shafts Across the city.

In the end, almost A mile of these passages

Were linked together

And allocated as The new catacomb space.

And in december 1785, the work Of moving the bodies began.

Selwood: it was a gruesome

But a very Sophisticated operation.

Bodies had been buried In paris for centuries.

Bodies had been buried In paris for centuries.

All of these had to be dug up,

Placed into carts at night, And taken to the catacombs,

Where an estimated two or four Million bodies were placed.

[ speaking french ]

Interpreter: We are stood at the bottom

Of the original chute used For disposing of the bones.

It is through this well,

Which was initially used To extract the stone,

That all the bones Were disposed of.

You can imagine the 20-meter Drop that they experienced.

You can imagine the 20-meter Drop that they experienced.

Once they piled Up on the ground,

They were then distributed Throughout the quarry.

Jerram: the process Had to almost be

On an industrial scale,

Every night for Night after night

Moving many, many bones Through the system

And down into the underground.

Really quite A bizarre undertaking.

Narrator: It took just two years

To empty les innocents Into the catacombs,

But decades more To shift the contents

But decades more To shift the contents

Of paris' other cemeteries.

However, the bones down here

Don't look like they Were just thrown in

Or even simply Stacked to save space.

So, was there a dark secret Behind the design of this site?

[ robin speaking french ]

Interpreter: This decoration was the idea

Of an inspector for the General quarry inspections

Called hericart de thury.

He imagined this whole Underground walkway

He imagined this whole Underground walkway

With a slightly morbid display

Destined to make us Think about death

And to welcome visitors.

Selwood: What he did was to change it

From just being A collection of bones

Into an experience That had soul.

He gave these people back a life

That modern visitors Can reflect on.

Narrator: in 1860,

The last bones were placed Inside the catacombs.

The last bones were placed Inside the catacombs.

And ever since, The only bodies to enter

Have been members of the public

Hoping to explore the dark Depths of this city's heart.

*

Today, this macabre site Still draws visitors

Into its eerily quiet interior, With surprising results.

Selwood: The catacombs has succeeded

In doing something Truly extraordinary,

Which is that most Visitors leave

With a sense of sereneness

And having been uplifted.

There is something deeply Soulful and powerful

About what they've Achieved in the catacombs.

*

Narrator: on the outskirts Of liege in belgium,

Narrator: on the outskirts Of liege in belgium,

Not far from the border Shared with germany,

Are the shattered remains Of a vast structure.

Selwood: It's a zone of destruction.

Clearly, something very Violent happened here.

There's a sense that once There was an immense tragedy.

Nusbacher: and we're used To seeing engineering

Imposed on the land.

But here, it's as Though the earth

Has tried to suck this piece Of architecture back inside.

Has tried to suck this piece Of architecture back inside.

Selwood: there are sections Of triangular installations

With circular elements.

It's an incomprehensible, ugly, And rather distressing site,

Vast area of mangled Concrete and metal.

Narrator: all around the city

Are other strange and Unique concrete forms,

Cracked and ignored for decades.

Cracked and ignored for decades.

But this one seems to have Suffered the gravest fate.

The area is so vast, the Destruction is so complete,

That you're left With the feeling

That these ruins have A big story to tell.

Nusbacher: What turned something so mighty

Into something so pathetic?

Narrator: After decades of european wars

In the 19th century,

In the 19th century,

A decision to build Up defenses in belgium

Led to the creation Of this fort in 1888.

Nusbacher: when built In the late-19th century,

It was the last word on Fortification technology.

With poured concrete, Quickfire artillery,

And disappearing mounts,

It was the absolutely acme of Europe's military technology.

It was the absolutely acme of Europe's military technology.

Narrator: but having laid Untested for over 25 years,

The first world war soon Threatened to throw this fort

Into the frontline as An obstacle in the path

Of a marauding german army On their way to france.

Belgium is invented

To be a buffer between Germany and france.

This means that belgium Has got to be prepared

For attack from the east.

For attack from the east.

Corum: a small section Of the belgian border

Where the germans have The terrain to advance

And where the rail lines Run through is liege.

If you want to Protect your country

Against a german invasion, This is the obvious point.

Narrator: with the defense Of liege paramount,

This once-state-of-the-art Structure

Would soon be taking on the Full force of modern warfare.

Would soon be taking on the Full force of modern warfare.

This is fort loncin.

But the level Of destruction seen today

Shows that ultimately it Wasn't up to the task.

So, what unexpected Force could obliterate

The latest in belgian Military defense?

*

Narrator: on the outskirts Of liege, belgium,

Is fort loncin.

Lying in ruins now, in its day,

This was the pinnacle Of military design.

Corum: When these forts are designed,

They are essentially Invulnerable.

There is no weapon of the 1880s

That can breach the walls

That can breach the walls

Or destroy the armor Of this fort.

Narrator: Designed with a low profile

To make it harder to Target from distance,

Across its surface was An array of retractable

And rotating artillery turrets.

And if the enemy Did somehow manage

To get close enough to attack,

They would be faced not With high walls to climb

But deadly ditches to traverse.

As local expert Victor vandarperren explains,

As local expert Victor vandarperren explains,

These were effectively Kill zones.

The guns were placed Behind armored walls

With clear lines of sight,

And at the far end were curved Columns, designed to send

The ricocheting lead Pellets around the corners.

There was simply No place to hide.

The belgians meanwhile Would be safely tucked away

Inside the underground Network of rooms and tunnels.

As the shots rang out

Signaling the start Of the first world war,

Liege was immediately In the firing line.

But fort loncin alone

Was never enough to Protect the whole city.

This was just one part of a Much larger fortified position.

This was just one part of a Much larger fortified position.

Nusbacher: If you can stop the germans

Getting across The river meuse at liege,

Then you can stop The germans invading france.

Because of the strategic Significance of liege,

You couldn't defend It with just one fort.

Liege was encircled by A pattern of 12 forts.

Liege was encircled by A pattern of 12 forts.

Narrator: together the Outward-facing ring of forts

Was a formidable defense.

But the invading german army

Had close to 4 million troops Compared to belgium's 200,000.

Germany had no respect for Belgium as a military power.

They thought the belgians Had a paper army

And cardboard fortresses.

Nusbacher: The germans attacked quickly.

The belgians send Them away quickly.

That shows that, For a day or two,

That shows that, For a day or two,

The belgian fortifications Around liege

Are pretty effective.

Narrator: but when a heavier Attack followed,

That defensive ring was pierced

And the germans marched straight To the heart of the city,

Bringing with them A weapon the belgians

Were simply not prepared for.

The big bertha was The largest gun in the world

At the time.

It was a howitzer with a Shell size of 42 centimeters.

It was a howitzer with a Shell size of 42 centimeters.

Nusbacher: they're able to turn Up with effectively

A 16-inch naval gun on wheels,

And they're able to fire Armor-piercing shells

Right into the walls of The belgian fortifications.

Narrator: With a range of 9 miles,

The big bertha was now able To shoot the forts in the back

And with fort loncin, The new command center

For the defense, it was Soon in the cross hairs.

For the defense, it was Soon in the cross hairs.

But could the big bertha Alone cause this scene

Of utter carnage?

Or did something else add To the hellish inferno

About to rain down on the fort?

*

Narrator: with liege under German control in 1914,

Fort loncin was now Housing the belgian command,

But the big bertha was Aimed straight at it.

The belgian forts Around liege were built

To defend against The very best artillery

Of the late 19th century,

But time has moved on.

But time has moved on.

Narrator: That final shot had pierced

Narrator: That final shot had pierced

The 2.5-meter-thick Concrete roof

And ignited 12 tons of explosives,

Trapping and killing 350 men below

And sending a brutal shock wave Tearing through the fort.

The key vulnerability, And it was a fatal one,

Was that the concrete in The 1880s that they used

Did not have metal Reinforcing rods.

The concrete was Simply poured in.

The concrete was Simply poured in.

And this was in no way Capable of withstanding

20th-century artillery.

Narrator: The belgians were defeated.

Despite a brave fight, They had met an enemy

With far superior power And far heavier weaponry.

But not all was lost.

Fortresses are created To delay an enemy,

To slow them down.

The belgians did A pretty heroic job.

The belgians did A pretty heroic job.

Nusbacher: liege was able To slow the german advance

Into france for long Enough for the french

And british forces to Reorganize and stop the germans

Achieving their aims At the beginning

Of the first world war.

Narrator: the bodies of those

Who valiantly gave Their lives in defiance

Of the invading army still Lie beneath the ruins.

*

Standing near The coastline of florida

Is a strange row of structures

That appear to be lost at sea.

*

*

From a distance, you see these Sculpted, organic forms.

They're incredible, they're From a different planet.

Meigs: such a spooky sight.

Was it some kind Of military instillation?

Some research center?

Maybe it looks like Something some crazy monks

Would've built In the greek isles.

There's something Timeless about it.

Narrator: The unique design suggests

Narrator: The unique design suggests

This was intended as Something revolutionary.

Bell: It feels like an ambitious plan

However you look at it.

Whatever someone was Trying to achieve here,

It was certainly Pushing the boundaries.

Narrator: So what were these strange,

Dome-shaped structures for?

And what unforeseen event Left them stranded out here?

*

Reilly: right now we're heading Down towards cape romano.

Reilly: right now we're heading Down towards cape romano.

It sits in the ten Thousand islands.

The average depth here is About 3 1/2 feet,

So very tricky to navigate.

A lot of boats run Aground on a daily basis.

Makes it a little more Difficult to get down there.

Narrator: Captain chris reilly

Has been navigating These waters for 20 years

And knows the dangers Hidden beneath the waves,

But the shallows aren't The real concern down here.

One of the things about This area is constantly,

We're getting hit by hurricanes.

It's just constant high wind And rough seas to deal with.

It's just constant high wind And rough seas to deal with.

Coastal florida is not an Easy place to build anything.

If you're gonna Build something here,

You have to really want it.

Bell: there's nothing between You and a potential hurricane

Or storm racing its Way across that water.

This is a dangerous place to be.

Narrator: to choose Such an exposed location

May have been asking For trouble,

But for bob lee, a retired Oilman with big ideas,

This needed to be built At all costs.

This needed to be built At all costs.

Meigs: when bob lee Discovered this area

On the coast of florida,

He fell in love with it, As many people do.

But for him, it wasn't Enough to just live

On some golf course Or in some condo.

He really imagined Getting closer to nature.

Barratt: anyone who lives Or sails in that area

Knows what a harsh Environment it is,

But for bob to actually build There on the edge of the earth,

I think everyone must've Thought he was crazy.

I think everyone must've Thought he was crazy.

Narrator: these weren't just Any old structures, though.

This was bob's dream.

The cape romano dome home.

But how did it end up Stranded in the water?

Was it the winds of a hurricane That shattered the dream

Or something else?

*

Narrator: in the exposed Coastal waters of florida

Stands The cape romano dome home --

A place built on the dream Of an off-grid life.

Meigs: what's fascinating About these structures

Is you can see that They're futuristic,

But they're kind of An old idea of the future.

You can see echoes of The '60s and '70s here.

Narrator: this was all about Escaping the modern world

Narrator: this was all about Escaping the modern world

And utilizing the resources Nature provided

So the design Reflected this desire.

He had a gutter system That went around

The base of the domes, So that when it rained,

It would trickle down all sides

And get sent To a 23,000-gallon cistern.

If you look at the bottom Of this dome right here,

You'll see the concrete.

That's actually where that 23,000-gallon cistern was held.

He would filter The water and that's how

He got his drinking And bathing water.

Today we talk a lot About carbon footprint

Today we talk a lot About carbon footprint

And using natural environments,

But back in 1981, bob is really At the forefront of that.

He went for it and these Experimental buildings,

That's where our inspiration For the future comes.

Narrator: but there was more To the dome shape

Than just collecting water And looking futuristic.

These were designed to Withstand the brutal force

Of coastal storms.

Being this shape, there Was no sharp corners

For the wind to catch on

For the wind to catch on

And it would actually Roll right around the structure.

As well as the shape, He also built it on stilts,

So that if there was a hurricane And a major storm surge,

It would actually flow Right under the property

And not affect the living space.

Narrator: But for all the storm-proofing

And innovative features, Did mother nature

Have something Unexpected up her sleeve?

Taking on a construction Project down here,

You'd be foolish not To consider the impact

From storms And hurricanes and waves.

From storms And hurricanes and waves.

But looking at it today, it's Clear that something happened

That wasn't planned for.

Narrator: Four of the original six domes

Remain above water, But it wasn't necessarily

The strong winds that Knocked these two over.

Here change was Happening underfoot.

When he completed the Property in 1981 and moved in,

It was a three-bedroom, Three-bath house.

2,500 square foot that sat A quarter mile inland.

2,500 square foot that sat A quarter mile inland.

So all of this was beach Including a quarter mile out

In front of the property.

Narrator: Built upon a deserted island,

The domes were never meant

To be completely Surrounded by water.

So where did the land go?

Reporter: the water rises In a storm surge.

A wind-driven tide Of rapid flooding.

Narrator: After 10 years of use, in 1992,

Narrator: After 10 years of use, in 1992,

A category-5 hurricane Hit florida

And a problem that had Been slowly brewing

Beneath the waves Began to surface.

The buildings were flooded, The beach started to wash away.

This beautiful dream

Of this off-the-grid Sustainable concrete home

Turned into Kind of a bit of a nightmare.

Narrator: a year later,

Bob lee's family Abandoned the domes.

Bob lee's family Abandoned the domes.

But mother nature wasn't Finished with them yet.

Bob thought about storms,

He thought about the Severe climate in the area,

But what he didn't Take into account

Was the shifting nature Of the ground beneath.

Narrator: what was now starting To become clear

Was that erosion Was the real threat.

Reilly: the gulf of mexico has a Natural north-to-south current.

Now you have all This water constantly

Now you have all This water constantly

Every single day Pushing back and forth.

The inevitable storm surges We get from the hurricanes

Did erode a little Bit of the beach

And changed the coastline here, Which caused more current

To flow north to south, Which has made the sand

Shift a lot quicker.

Narrator: The result was an island

Quickly being swallowed Up by the ocean.

And with each passing storm,

The situation only Seems to worsen.

Meigs: in the bible, jesus Says, "The wise man

Meigs: in the bible, jesus Says, "The wise man

Builds his house on stone

And the foolish man Builds his house on sand."

Well, bob lee, with All of his great vision

And creative ideas, he chose To build his house on sand.

Bell: but now they appear To be marooned at sea,

But who knows?

Maybe one day the tides Will shift again

And the island will end up Back underneath these domes.