CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral neighbors are worried a pile of wood, rotting since Hurricane Ian, is causing a rat infestation near SE 28th St and SE 24th Ave.

The wood is from a dock broken during the storm. Sharp objects are also in the pile of debris, sitting out for nearly a year now. Neighbors say the homeowner lives in Germany most of the time.

“It already flew all over in this last storm,” said Charlene Borys. “What I told the city, and I told our neighbors, is the minute that this thing gets tampered with, the first winds, the rats are going to run for a new house…They have!”

Borys showed ABC7 rat burrows under her shed, which she believes are from the rotting debris two doors down from her house.

“The code guy came. He said he could see active rat action,” she said. “This is a huge problem because this is not gonna go away fast, no way! This is an infestation.”

It’s not Borys’ first run-in with rodent problems. She also had a rat infestation at her home in Wisconsin before moving to Cape Coral.

“I had almost 3 nervous breakdowns,” she said. “I slept with the lights on at night for 100 days! I had to leave the state because it was so bad.”

The City of Cape Coral said the homeowner was cited for not cleaning up the rotten junk in June. ABC7 was there Wednesday afternoon as a dumpster was dropped off at the property. Neighbors are hoping it’s the first sign of progress and the mess will get cleaned up soon.