BY SEAN EGAN | In New York, rats are often inconsiderate neighbors (or tenants) whose bad habits and uncleanliness can cause health risks and other quality of life issues. For many, hardly a day goes by where one doesn’t see a rat on the streets, in the subway, or even at home.
That’s why on Tues., Aug. 17, the office of City Councilmember Corey Johnson (representing Council District 3), along with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene presented its second “Rat Academy” at the L.G.B.T. Community Center (208 W. 13th St., btw. Greenwich & Seventh Aves.). The program educated the community on ways to prevent and eliminate the troublesome rodents from their homes, businesses, and public spaces.
After Erik Bottcher, Johnson’s Chief of Staff, reported the Councilmember’s office receives hundreds of complaints about rats, he turned the floor over to D.O.H.M.H.’s Caroline Bragdon, who he referred to as “New York City’s rat czar.”
Armed with a thorough and informative PowerPoint presentation, Bragdon highlighted some recent statistics about the rat population in the West Village. So far this year, there have been 1,048 rat inspections in the area, and 16.6 percent of those inspections resulted in failure (she described “success” as below 5 percent). Furthermore, the city has provided 415 visits by pest control professionals to specific sites. She also noted there were 58 violations for un-remediated rat activity in the last six to seven months in the neighborhood.
She also stressed the importance of community mobilization to combat rats (including calling 311), and urged the assembled to visit the city’s rat portal (nyc.gov/rats) for resources and neighborhood rat stats, such as its “Rat Indexing” program, which targets certain areas (including Community Districts 2 and 3) for more in-depth surveillance. Also mentioned was the de Blasio administration’s commitment to fighting “rat reservoirs” (areas where large numbers of rats thrive).
Next up, Danisa Arias, also from D.O.H.M.H., spoke about ways to identify rat problems, and preventative measures. Rat-proofing methods include sealing up any holes the size of a quarter or larger (preferably using steel or copper mesh and plaster). Securing garbage is also a must, as rats only require 1oz of food and water a day to survive — gallons-large bags provide enough sustenance for a colony of rodents. It’s all part of limiting access to the rats’ “Triangle of Life”: food, shelter, and water.
Arias also cited various ways to identify rats, most notably through their droppings and urine stains. If a problem is detected, and action must be taken, she advised against using poisons (which could be harmful to pets and people) — and advocated bringing in professionals.
Also introduced at the meeting was Nefertiti Granville, case manager for Community Board 2 and Community Board 4, who handles rat issues and inspections in those areas. “A lot of times, people don’t know what to look for,” she noted. “That’s why I’m here,” she said, encouraging everyone to reach out to her.
Periodically, members of the public directed questions and concerns to moderators. A few concerned Village residents spoke out about excessive rat issues on Jane St., citing overflowing city garbage cans as an exacerbating factor. Bragdon told the crowd that D.O.H.M.H. was aware of the issue and the city would make efforts to rectify the problem — one of a number of times she noted that many rat issues stem from city-owned property, such as sewers, sidewalks, and parks.
Julie Lawrence voiced concern about rats plaguing Alice’s Garden in Hell’s Kitchen (W. 34th St., btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), which she helps maintain — an issue she believes originates with a nearby dumpster used by a restaurant and mixed-use building. The officials advised her to report the problem, so that the Department could conduct an inspection, work with the neighbors and suss out the problem.
The evening came to a conclusion with a raffle. Johnson’s office was giving away 30 rodent-resistant trashcans to lucky attendees, in order for them to start implementing the strategies discussed that evening.
“I thought it was a very good presentation,” commented Chelsea resident and West 400 Block Association member Allen Oster, noting he learned more about the importance of preventative measures. “If you don’t have the defenses up, your offense is gonna fail,” he observed.
“This training is a powerful way to give residents the tools and information they need to keep their buildings and neighborhoods rodent-free,” wrote Johnson in a statement to The Villager after the event. “While we’re happy to work with anybody who sees rats in their building on a one-on-one basis, we also want people to know that there are a few things you can do to help prevent this from happening in the first place. I’m extremely grateful to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for holding this, I know the attendees benefited greatly.”
