Advertisement
TikTok’s “Tunnel Girl,” known as Kala, has gained attention for documenting her tunnel-digging project beneath her home. She shares updates on TikTok via @engineer.everything and maintains a YouTube channel, @engineerkala. Recently, city officials in Herndon, Virginia, where Kala lives, were notified about her excavation project and shut it down, as digging tunnels without proper permits is typically illegal in many U.S. municipalities.
Kala, who started the excavation in October 2022, refers to the project as a “storm shelter” constructed entirely below the slab of her house. She expressed plans to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to continue the project legally. Kala’s social media accounts have gained popularity, with approximately half a million followers on TikTok.
While much about Kala remains unknown, she has declined numerous media requests for comment. According to The New York Times, Kala is not her legal name, and she is not trained in structural engineering. Her day job is in software engineering, and she emphasizes that the tunnel project is not about preparing for a catastrophe but a way to keep herself occupied and entertained.
City officials in Herndon are working with Kala to address violations, ensure compliance with building codes, and make the property safe. Kala has shared insights into her learning process during the project, mentioning her limited prior experience with electrical systems and her newfound knowledge gained from the endeavor.
Hobby tunneling, or the excavation of tunnel systems, is not uncommon. The passion for digging tunnels has been observed in other cases, such as a tunnel fire incident in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2017. In that case, one person died, and the homeowner was sentenced to prison in 2019, later released in 2022 after a sentence reduction.