Residents see surge of rats infesting their neighborhood nearby H Street corridor

WASHINGTON - A rodent issue has been festering in one D.C. neighborhood.

"I don't want to see them every time I walk out the door and that's what's been happening lately," said Jane Morris.

Residents living off of the busy H Street corridor in Northeast D.C. say they are fed up with the rat infestation that has steadily been migrating from the growing strip of businesses to their doorsteps.

"The rats are all over the yard," said Lindsey Benedetti. "If you just move a box, typically the rats just come scurrying out."

They are in the alleys, under cars, running through front yards and are even chewing through residents' garbage bins.

Benedetti's view from her rooftop is everything but scenic.

"When you look down over the roof, you can see them all behind the wooden fence -- just clusters and clusters of rats," she said.

"To come outside and see a ton of rats when I've lived here for 12 years and never seen that before, it's a major concern," said Morris.

A petition asking for the city's action has been circling the neighborhood following a visit from a health department inspector last week.

"But the poison they put out will probably kill the dogs or cats," said resident Dwayne Greenwood.

Residents say the signatures are necessary for the city to bring out poison to bait the rats.

"They can't do it without this petition," Greenwood told us.

"I think they need to address it immediately because it's kind of been a huge upsurge in the number of rats that we've seen so we don't want it to get even further out of hand," said Morris.