A home in Wyandotte, Michigan was so badly infested with cockroaches that the residents who lived there were evicted, but now the problem spreads throughout the neighborhood.
As the infestation got out of control, the city set up barricades and signs for four hours on Halloween to dissuade trick-or-treating in the affected areas so that pesticides could be sprayed.
The infected house is located on the 3500 block on 20th Street. The problem is emerging now, but this is not a new problem.
According to city engineer Greg Mayhew, the city’s involvement in the incident began on August 12, when Wyandot police checked the health of the residence and found unsanitary conditions, including numerous cockroaches.
According to a nearby resident, the reason for the health check was a garbage pick-up day. Neighbor Tom Burgo said a worker picking up trash at the home in question noticed something moving after the trash was thrown into the back of the truck.
“It was full of cockroaches,” Virgo said.
The garbage hauler reported his findings to city officials, who immediately took action.
A report addressed to the homeowner and placed at the front door states that Wyandot police officers who conducted the medical examination observed numerous property violations and unsafe and unsanitary conditions. It has been.
The violations and general unsanitary conditions the city refers to in its letter include stench, rubbish, junk, rubble and litter strewn and piled up in kitchens and throughout the residence. The city says floors are messy and dirty and all visible rooms, including kitchen sinks and appliances, toilets and bathtubs, should be cleaned and disinfected.
Finally, the city cited insect infestations throughout the home.
During the week of August 15, residents began cleaning their homes, but according to Mayhew, their cleaning efforts were neither careful nor thorough.
Part of the problem, Virgo said, was that residents rarely threw most of the contents of their homes into the giant city-provided trash cans, instead taking most of the contents of their homes into their backyards and leaving them uncovered.
“Shortly afterward, neighbors found cockroaches in their homes,” Virgo said. “A local Wyandotte hardware vendor asked my neighbor where he lived because he was buying cockroach-fighting products. It looks like we’re buying supplies, and this issue has been derailed.”
Mayhew said the city has been working on the cockroach problem since August 19, hiring pest control contractors to spray the affected homes and residences to the north and south.
However, according to reports from neighbors, the infection appears to have spread beyond houses on both sides of the dwelling where it occurred, which is why the city decided to expand the treatment area.
Mayhew had a hearing on Sept. 28 after the property owner failed to thoroughly clean and sanitize the house and yard by the deadline given to her in a letter.
“They were present and said they would handle it by Oct. 28,” Mayhew said. “Apparently (they) have failed, showing indicators that there are still cockroaches around the residence and outside,” he added, adding that cleaning the property was far from complete.
Local residents contacted Wyandot City Council twice. Initially, Mayhew said, treatment areas increased, he increased up to twice a week, and included sidewalks, grass between sidewalks and curbs, and curb boundaries. This he did on both sides of 20th Street and west of his 19th Street, from Pine to about eleven residences south of Pine.
“We also provided treatment of their property by treating the perimeter of the foundation and the lawn area if they requested it,” Mayhew said.
But it turns out that even that is not enough.
Residents attended a city council meeting on October 24, at which point the council decided it would be best for residents to close 20th Street from Eureka Road to Grove Street.
Residents living in the affected blocks were sent a letter on October 25th informing them that the closure will take place from 4pm to 8pm on Halloween to prevent further movement of cockroaches.
“Install roadblocks and signs on the roads and sidewalks at Grove, the intersection of Orchard and Pine, and close roads and sidewalks to vehicles and pedestrians at Eureka,” the letter said. “We recommend that you discourage trick-or-treating in this area.”
A similar announcement was made to the entire city on Wyandot’s Facebook page around noon Monday.
According to this post, there have been no reports of cockroach infestations outside the immediate vicinity. The city also revealed that it will be trick-or-treating in the rest of the city as planned from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
The city also released a statement from Mayor Robert Desana.
“This is an unfortunate incident for the residents of this block, but like all residents of Wyandotte, the city is doing what it is legally possible to do to eliminate the causes of this infestation, including spraying sidewalks with pesticides.” You can be reassured that we have taken every possible measure, including lawn areas between sidewalks and streets, and along curbs in certain areas of streets in affected areas.
When news of the infection hit social media over the weekend, several people posted pictures of a man in a cockroach costume, with one calling it “Wyandot’s official costume for 2022.” .
While some people take the situation lightheartedly, those affected aren’t laughing, especially with street closures taking place over Halloween.
According to Virgo, many of his neighbors were elderly and some had pre-existing medical conditions, all of which was emotionally distressing for them.
He and some of his neighbors are scheduled to meet with city officials later this week to make sure the matter is fully resolved.
