Rats running rampant in Long Island neighborhood

ByKristin Thorne WABC logo

Monday, July 13, 2020

Rats running rampant in Long Island neighborhood

Residents of a neighborhood in Plainview tell Eyewitness News their neighborhood is infested with rats.

PLAINVIEW, Long Island (WABC) -- Residents of a neighborhood in Plainview tell Eyewitness News their neighborhood is infested with rats.

"A rat ran across my fence line, and I kind of just stood there in shock thinking, 'Wow, I've never seen that before here," said Yolanda Coveney.

Coveney has lived on Halcourt Drive for 21 years and said she has never seen a rat.

"I've seen raccoons knock over my garbage," she said.

Eyewitness News obtained videos of a rat swimming in a resident's pool and another running through a garden - both in broad daylight.

Gloria Geraci, who lives on Burton Avenue, said she has seen several rats on her property in the last few weeks.

RELATED | More Nassau County news

"This is too great of an issue for homeowners to tackle alone," she said. "We don't know where it's coming from. We need some help."

Geraci said she contacted officials with the Town of Oyster Bay who told her it's the responsibility of the Nassau County Department of Health.

Inspectors visited the area last week and confirmed a rodent infestation.

MaryEllen Laurain, a spokesperson for the Nassau County Department of Health, said the inspectors spoke with the homeowner about best practices to keep rats away from the property.

"Nassau County does not provide extermination services," she said. "The Department of Health does provide education and guidance to homeowners on eliminating conditions that attract rodents."

Geraci said residents in the neighborhood are diligent about manicuring their lawns and keeping their properties free of anything which would attract rodents. She said the county needs to do more to help, including identifying the source of the rats and setting up bait stations, particularly along the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway.

"I would love them to try to do something - try to figure out where they're coming from," Coveney said in agreement.

ALSO READ | Black homeowner says man throwing feces, dead squirrels in yard on Long Island