Rats Overtake Highway 145 Sunday in Franklin Co.

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Health Department officials in Franklin County are seeking a permanent solution for a rat invasion in part of Franklin County near the Stephens County line.

Sunday morning, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies came upon miles of dead rats along Highway 145 near the Stephens County line.

Some motorists took videos and others said at one point Sunday so many rats were running over Highway 145 it looked like the road was moving.

Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas said this has been an ongoing problem and his office is also receiving complaints.

“We’ve had several calls,” Thomas said. “It’s coming from a farm in the area up there.”

Thomas went on to say that at one point Sunday morning, so many dead rats were found in the roadway, his deputies put up signs warning motorists to slow down so crews could clean up the carcasses.

“They put up ‘slow’ signs so they could get some of the animals off the roadway,” Thomas said. “One of my officers came down the road this morning and he advised there were numerous animals in the road and they had to remove them.”

Thomas said the farm is owned by a company, but he did not name the company.

Reports indicated that the rats were coming from a poultry farm on Tom’s Creek Road on the Franklin County-Stephens County line.

According to those reports, the chicken houses were emptied Friday and being aired out, which caused the rats to migrate and cross Highway 145 in the process.

Thomas said the Franklin County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division is working with the owners of the farm to clean up the problem.

Meanwhile, Franklin County Environmental Health Director Louis Korff said he has contacted District Two Public Health officials, as well as the Georgia Department of Agriculture and a local judge to make them aware of the situation.

Korff said he spent the better part of Sunday working with state health officials and taking statements from neighbors whose properties are being inundated with rats.

He said he has never seen a rodent infestation on a farm of this magnitude.

According to Korff, he has made contact with a high-ranking company official and they are going to work to eradicate the issue and come up with a game plan so it never happens again.

Korff said once the rats are removed, he will continue to monitor the farm for rodent problems.

He added District Two Public Health will also be working to make sure the rat problem is taken care of.