Rodents, critters invade Purple Hook NYCHA advanced in Brooklyn; residents plead for assist

RED HOOK, Brooklyn (WABC) — A Brooklyn community is under siege by a group of unwanted invaders.

“We have skunks and we have raccoons and we have possums, the only things we’re missing now are lions, tigers and bears,” said Betty Bernhart of Red Hook Initiatives.

Residents at the Red Hook Houses managed to snap a few photos, but they generally don’t want to get close, especially for residents with small dogs.

“I heard that some people have been sprayed by skunks. And it’s just scary, especially at night,” said Tammy Gist, resident of Red Hook Houses.

It’s a problem made worse by the long-term construction and flood defense upgrades that have been made to the complex since Hurricane Sandy. The old cellar boilers are also replaced by above-ground central heating.

The multi-billion-dollar resiliency plan has taken a lot of work, and there’s still a year and a half to go.

Eyewitness News reporter Sonia Rincon was told that rats live in tarp-covered piles.

There are rat traps and bait boxes everywhere to help control the situation, but attorney Betty Bernhardt says NYCHA needs to do better.

“Not just these traps. You have to fill in the little holes you see the animals dig into,” Bernhardt said.

Eyewitness News reporter Sonia Rincon also spoke to a wildlife trapper in Red Hook, who says the neighborhood has always been rich in animals.

Those he captures, as long as they are healthy, are relocated to non-residential areas that they do not have to share with humans.

“You have to remove them from the area at least 25 miles from where they actually burrow, if not they will come back,” said Alberto Calderon of Hunters Wildlife Removal. “You can’t just grab them, catch them, and let go of a few blocks. These guys will come back.”

Calderon says if NYCHA uses regular exterminators to address the problem, rather than someone who handles wildlife larger than rats, they will definitely come back.

Local residents say they know the agency is looking into the problem.

“I think we’re seeing people doing their jobs, but we could see more,” said Eddie Ab, a resident of Red Hook Houses.

NYCHA has said both the agency and its contractor are working on the pest and wildlife issue several days a week.

The hope is that the situation will improve when the construction is completed in about a year and a half and all the holes are filled and sealed.

But in the meantime, the head of a Red Hook residents’ association is urging tenants to report the locations of the construction holes to NYCHA and urging NYCHA to hire a few more workers on the site to help.

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