A resurgence of rats has spiraled out of control in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, several residents said Friday, calling on city leaders to take additional action.
Diana Gazda, a resident of the Far Northwest Side community for seven decades, said she has never seen an infestation like this.
“We’ve never had a rat problem like this,” she said. “I’ve been here 71 years, in my house.”
Gazda said she had already called the city for help and as a result, crews conducted rat baiting in late February.
But rats remain a persistent problem and they still often visit alleys at night, residents said.
Neighbors told NBC Chicago that even though they traveled in sometimes overflowing dumpsters, the rats also went elsewhere.
“She told me ‘I have rats in the garage’ and there’s a rat hole in the yard next door,” Gazda said.
The longtime Portage Park resident said she asked the city and local alderman’s office for crews to come back and fix the problem. But aside from the highly visible signs about dog waste, she said nothing had been done.
Some locals took photos of the nocturnal visitors rushing by.
“I was surprised how many of them, even in the alley you can see them running back and forth,” said another resident, Joe.
“Big Boy”, the neighborhood mouser, managed to catch a few small rodents.
But the big rats remain, according to neighbors.
“I’ve never seen rats this bad,” Gazda said. “Never.”
NBC Chicago reviewed the city of Chicago’s website and found complaints about rats in the area that were filed as recently as Friday.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation released the following statement to NBC Chicago regarding the infestation:
The Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) is committed to keeping Chicago clean and healthy, and we continue to proactively combat rodents as a free service for residents. The DSS Bureau of Rodent Control responded to two 311 requests to bait the driveway last month on March 5th.th and 11th. Rodent Control will also be conducting a door-to-door abatement next week, which will include contacting everyone in the neighborhood, inspecting yards, providing technical assistance, baiting and inspecting driveway to detect any damaged garbage carts.
To prevent the presence of rodents in or near their premises, residents are encouraged to:
- keep waste in well-covered trash cans.
- block access to their homes and garages.
- clean up animal feces immediately.
- remove animal and bird food from their yard.
- removing debris and heavy vegetation, including harvesting garden vegetables in a timely manner.
NBC Chicago
