Northeast Philly residents complain of rat problem since construction began in their area
PHILADELPHIA - Another Philly neighborhood is experiencing a rat problem. Residents are doing everything they can to keep the rats away from their homes.
"They're not garden insects or anything. These are rats," said Tanisha Carter. She gave FOX 29 cell phone video that shows a rat taking up residence under a bush in front of her home on Granite Street in Northeast Philly. Carter says the rodents grew to be such a problem that she had to get a man to dig up her garden.
"He said he found four holes. Four nests," said Carter. She says her two sons Caiden and Kiye first noticed the rats at 7:30 in the morning while heading out for school.
"Three, four, five of them going between our neighbor’s yard over here and my yard," she said. Her neighbor Fern Klein says she saw my report last night when we spoke to two women about the rat problem in their North Philly neighborhood.
"It reminded me of what's going on here. We have rats this big. I kid you not and I'm afraid to sit on my porch like that lady said too," she said. Klein also got rid of her garden and shows us where she's had to seal holes with cement.
"Right over here there was a rat's nest," she pointed. She says she’s called the city's Vector Control about five times.
"They came out once, told us what to do and never came back," said Klein. Neighbors have been using this rodent repellant outside their homes. Michelle Ortiz loaded up on other products to use inside the home.
"I had to call PJ Pest Control because they're so bad," said Ortiz. They believe a construction site a block away is where the rats are coming from.
"I've lived here 27 years and we've never had this problem," said Klein. One of the neighbors says she was told after calling 311 several times that they are overwhelmed with calls like this.
Meanwhile, an update to our story last night. A city spokesperson says they will go back out to that North Philly neighborhood for new inspections and talk to residents to remedy the situation.
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North Philly residents say rat problem escalating due to construction in the area
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