Long Island family blaming 'Sandy' for rat infestation

BELLMORE, New York (WABC) -- One Long Island family has moved out of their house due to a rat infestation that they are blaming on Superstorm Sandy.

As a result of this rat infestation, one family has moved out of their house and is moving all their belongings into a large container.

The next step, a large effort to get rid of the vermin.

"Once they got in here, you have a burrow hole into the playroom. And you got another burrow hole into the garage," said Chris Panza.

And from that point, Chris Panza and his family were in the midst of an unimaginable nightmare, a war against the rats.

"You just don't want to believe you have rats in your house," he adds.

One of the first places the Panza's noticed the ratactivity was when they noticed the white stuffing had been eaten out of their cushions.

It's happening where many of their neighbors in Bellmore were flooded, yet they barely escaped Sandy's wrath, they now think the storm is responsible for this rat infestation.

They found droppings in the children's play room. And then the rats moved up to a son's bedroom.

"We're talking a foot from where my kid sleeps. It's just, everything is going and get out and let's start fresh," adds Chris.

Chris, his wife and two children move out and went to stay with Chris' parents.

Dave Hall, one of the owners of Relia-built Construction is now preparing to pull down walls.

"We have to pull all the insulation out. Find out what walls they came through, open those walls up and see what extent the damage they did from there," he said.

For now rat traps line every walls in the house. They snared the first one in a trap today and Chris hopes to reopen his insurance claim.

"We're just flipping a coin and hoping for the best.," said Panza.

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