After Hurricane Sandy flooded parts of New York City there was speculation whether rats would survive, but a city official says the streets look normal.
“We haven’t seen an increase in rats above ground caused by Hurricane Sandy,” Sam Miller, assistant commissioner for public affairs at the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told New York magazine. “Flooding often displaces rats but also drowns young rats in their burrows and that can reduce the rat population.”
Some speculated the surviving rats would be disoriented and become a health threat. However, Miller insisted, “no research has demonstrated an increased health risk from flushed rats from underground.”