HAMBURG, NY (WKBW) — On Monday, Hamburg resident Diana Patton asked the Town Board to act on the rat problem at the Eaglecrest Mobile Home Park.
"It's dangerous for me here; I am worried about falling, and with my service dog, I am afraid she is going to get bit," said Patton.
As a disabled veteran, Patton told me the rat problem is causing her mental health to decline.
"When you have PTSD like I do, I could sleep through a thunderstorm but, the tiny noises, the little scratches wake me up and I was up for four days straight, I could not sleep," said Patton.
Patton has asked her mobile home park owner if they can help but received no guidance on what to do.
So she went to the Town Board in hopes they could do something.
Councilmember Frank Bogulski told me he will try to do something about it.
"We will address it with Erie County because they have an abatement program. We take this very seriously; it is a concern for the residents, and we will ensure we can do what we can to help them," said Bogulski.
Hamburg has struggled with rat issues in the past.
In 2019, Sean Crotty, Hamburg's Director of EMS and Emergency Management, declared a Code Red due to a rat infestation in the Mt. Vernon area. Crotty hopes neighbors will be proactive about the problem by closing trash and recycling bins.
"Composting could be attributing to that and gardens; if gardens have not been turned over and worked into the soil, they could be a source for rats," said Crotty.
For now, Patton and her neighbors are hoping for something to be done about the rats.
"I want them out," said Patton.
