Linda residents raise concerns over rat infestation in neighborhood

Residents in the Edgewater neighborhood of Linda, near Marysville, say a growing rat problem is damaging vehicles, spreading through yards and raising concerns about potential health risks.

Homeowners say they have seen rats running between properties and getting into cars, and they're asking Yuba County for help addressing the problem.

Tennasity Tidwell, who has lived in the neighborhood for years, said she recently received a text from a neighbor warning that a rat had climbed onto a vehicle and was heading toward the engine.

"The neighbor texted and said, 'Is your car out here? Because one of the rats is running up the tire, going into the engine.' Thankfully it was the other neighbor's car," Tidwell said.

Tidwell said she had never experienced a rat problem in the neighborhood before.

"It's infested with rats. They're running into people's cars, running in and out of the yards, going into cars eating wires," she said.

Tidwell said she has contacted county services but has not seen anyone come out to address the issue.

"Basically they just want everybody to get pest control but it's like, look at all the houses," she said.

Tidwell said she already pays for pest control and that workers have treated her property. However, she believes the problem extends beyond individual homes, with rat nests scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said the activity has become concerning enough that they take extra precautions before driving to work in the morning.

"I'm setting alarms off before I get in my car in the morning because it's dark. And the kids filmed one under my car. They start eating the wires, we've watched them go into other homes," the resident said.

Yuba County said it has no complaints on file for the address. A county spokesperson also said rat activity can increase during harvest season, when rodents are displaced from agricultural fields.

But Tidwell said the problem is new to her neighborhood.

"I've been here 5 years, I've never seen rats. Not once," she said. "I'm just worried about them damaging the cars, and I don't know if they're going to get people sick," she said.