In effort to combat growing rodent infestations in the community, particularly around Sandy-damaged properties, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D – Howard Beach) has called on the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to do a comprehensive inspection of abandoned properties and other problem areas in the community; and to place rat traps and rodenticides to curb the growing health emergency. Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Goldfeder’s office
In an effort to combat growing rodent infestations in the community, particularly around Sandy-damaged properties, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D – Howard Beach) has called on the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to do a comprehensive inspection of abandoned properties and other problem areas in the community; and to place rat traps and rodenticides to curb the growing health emergency.
Joann Ariola, President of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic, described a particular area under the Belt Parkway overpass, a pedestrian thoroughfare frequently traversed by elderly and children. Nearby are two houses of worship and a school. “One evening at dusk some members of my board and I were walking back after a meeting, and there were three or four rats just scurrying around.”
As part of their summer beautification project, Ariola had already brought to light the overgrowth of shrubbery that borders the Belt Parkway in Lindenwood. Such unkempt vegetation is a known haven to rodents. “Sanitation has been very good in trimming those weeds, but the Department of Health has to step up and do their part,” Ariola said, adding that residents of the adjacent garden apartments are “panicked” about the rat infestation.
Last June, Assemblyman Goldfeder unveiled a three-point plan in response to growing concerns over properties left vacant following Superstorm Sandy. In response, the Assemblyman received dozens of phone calls from residents concerned with properties in their own neighborhoods. From these complaints, the Assemblyman was able to compile a list of all known vacant properties in the community for referral to the NYPD and other city agencies for treatment. The Assemblyman noted in his letter that pest control at these properties is one more step in returning to normal after Sandy.
Specifically, Goldfeder requested that the DOHMH investigate the situation thoroughly and at a minimum put out pesticides and traps in abandoned properties. He cited longstanding foreclosure problems in the area, a situation made exponentially worse post-Sandy by flooded homes that were not cleaned or sealed properly after the storm.
The Assemblyman’s efforts coincide with a recent audit by city Comptroller Scott Stringer of DOHMH’s handling of rodent complaints city-wide. The audit found that while rat complaints by residents in the five boroughs had skyrocketed to nearly 25,000 in the last fiscal year (up by more than 2000 complaints since the previous), DOHMH and its Pest Control Services Department (PCS) were not taking appropriate steps to address infestations.
For example, in almost 25 percent of the cases, inspections did not take place within ten days post-complaint, a parameter set by PCS. In fact, of those late inspections, over 700 took place 30-180 days after the complaint had been received. Further, for fully 160 complaints, Stringer’s report found no evidence that any inspection was ever done.
Last year, Queens alone reported inspections of 9,743 sites following complaints of rats. Constituents reaching out to the Assemblyman were categorically disappointed with the city’s response to their concerns, with many experiencing unsanitary conditions and property damage because of the infestation.
Why Here?
Rodents need and like water. They are attracted to water sources such as leaky pipes, toilets, and standing water. Thus, foreclosed and abandoned properties can be the ideal haven, also providing shelter and a food source from smaller animals, insects, and food left behind.
What Can We Do?
Homes can be protected from rat infestation by cleaning up in and around them, to include monitoring garbage cans and maintaining them at a distance from your home or garage; trimming shrubbery; tidying and keeping distance from woodpiles; sealing up all holes; and keeping compost away from the house. Inevitably, rats do spread, so living next door to an abandoned property puts you at risk. According to the DOHMH, rats rarely exist on a single property, and “getting rid of them often requires a neighborhood response.”
“Rats coming from the abandoned property next door recently got into my garage and chewed up the seats and wiring in my brand new car,” said Sonia Cassata, a Neponsit resident.“I want to know that the city is on top of this situation and will do something to correct it.”
Just How Many Rats Are We Really Talking About?
There may be some debate about how many rats there actually are in the city, with urban legend claiming that there are as many rats as people, but a study by Jonathan Auerbach, a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, reports a much more bearable proportion: four humans to every rat. Still, that adds up to roughly two million rats in five boroughs – arguably two million rats too many. By those calculations, the Queens rat population is around 600,000.
What’s the Big Deal?
In addition to being carriers of various diseases such as E. coli and salmonella, rats’ teeth never stop growing and grow at a rate of up to 5 ½ inches per year. Rats can gnaw through bone, wood, brick, concrete, and iron – and they constantly do so, in an effort to wear down and maintain their growing incisors. They can bite down with the force of 7,000 pounds per square inch, about the same force as crocodile jaws. In addition, rats are excellent swimmers, fishers, and jumpers, with the ability to leap 36 inches vertically and 48 inches horizontally. They can fall from a height of 50 feet without sustaining serious injury. Posing another challenge to curbing the infestation, rats have excellent memories. If one family member eats poisoned bait and dies, the rest of the family will avoid similar bait in the future. To make matters even worse, rats are afraid of new objects in their environment, making them suspicious of traps.
“People here have become seriously concerned about the health and welfare of their families. I’m not going to tell people how to do their jobs,” said Goldfeder, “but with minimal effort from the Department of Health, we can make a real difference in Sandy-affected communities. I’m going to rely on them to do the right thing.”
By Eugénie Bisulco
