Rodents After Flooding and Helene Cleanup

Flooding changes where rodents live. When water fills burrows along rivers and creeks, Norway rats move to higher ground, and the nearest dry shelter is often a house, garage, shed or debris pile. Mice move into stored belongings and damaged buildings that sit empty during repairs.

After Hurricane Helene in September 2024, that happened across the Asheville area. Pest Control Technology magazine reported in October 2024 that an Asheville pest control company was seeing more customers needing rodent service, and its owner linked the increase to ground moisture and flooding from the storm and the heavy rain before it. This article covers why that happens, the health risks during cleanup and how to keep rodents out while you rebuild.

What Helene did to the river districts

The scale of the flooding is part of why rodent problems followed. Smithsonian magazine reported that the French Broad River crested at a record 24.67 feet in Asheville, about a foot above the record from the Great Flood of 1916, and that floodwaters damaged an estimated 80 percent of the buildings in the River Arts District. In Biltmore Village, the Cathedral of All Souls flooded for the first time since it was built, according to the village's history page.

Communities along the Swannanoa River were hit hard too. Mountain Xpress described riverside apartment complexes flooding in Swannanoa and an apartment building on Moffitt Road coming off its foundation. Black Mountain lost power, water and sewer service for days, with roads and bridges washed out.

Those places had a lot of what rodents look for afterward: damaged buildings, piles of debris and belongings stored wherever there was room.

Why rodents move in after a flood

Flooded burrows. Norway rats live in burrows along banks and foundations. When those fill with water, rats move.
Debris. Piles of wet drywall, furniture, branches and lumber give rats and mice cover close to homes.
Empty buildings. Homes and businesses waiting on repairs sit quiet for weeks or months.
Stored belongings. Boxes, mattresses and furniture moved into garages, sheds, campers and storage units become nesting material.
New gaps. Repairs replace pipes, ducts, wiring, doors and siding, and every new hole can be an entry point if it is not sealed properly.
Wet ground. Soft, damp soil is easier for rats to dig.

Health risks during cleanup

Floodwater and rodent waste overlap in ways that matter for your health.

The CDC says leptospirosis is spread through the urine of infected animals, including rats and mice, that the bacteria can survive in contaminated water or soil for weeks to months, and that leptospirosis risk often increases after a hurricane or flood when people have contact with contaminated water or soil. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, nausea and jaundice, and can be mistaken for other illnesses.

The CDC also warns that hantavirus can get into the air when fresh droppings, urine or nesting from an infected rodent are stirred up, and it names the deer mouse as the carrier of the most common hantavirus that causes illness in the United States.

So when you clean out a flooded or rodent-damaged space:

Wear gloves and waterproof boots, and cover cuts.
Air the space out before you start.
Wet droppings and nests with disinfectant before touching them. Do not sweep or vacuum them.
Wash your hands well, and wash work clothes separately.
See a doctor if you get sick after cleanup, and mention both the flood water and the rodent exposure.

Rodents moved in after storm damage?

Your call goes to an independent rodent control provider serving Asheville and Buncombe County. Describe what you are seeing and ask for the plan and the price in writing before any work starts.

(828) 503-0038Tap to call · Free to call

Keeping rodents out while you rebuild

1. Get debris off the property as fast as you can. If it has to sit, keep it away from the house.

2. Store belongings in sealed plastic bins, off the floor, rather than cardboard boxes.

3. Have the building inspected after repairs. New pipe, duct and wire holes, replaced doors and new siding all need checking. See rodent inspection.

4. Seal with metal and masonry. Use quarter-inch hardware cloth on vents and copper mesh or 00 steel wool with caulk on pipe holes, as NC State Extension recommends. Foam alone will not hold.

5. Fix drainage so water does not pool along the foundation or in the crawl space.

6. Set snap traps in garages, sheds and storage areas, and check them regularly.

7. Check stored vehicles and equipment for nests. See rodents in car engines and garages.

Businesses reopening after flood damage

Restaurants, breweries and shops reopening in the River Arts District, Biltmore Village, Swannanoa and other flood-affected areas should treat rodent control as part of reopening. Food businesses are inspected by Buncombe County Environmental Health, and rodents or gaps that let pests in can cost points. A building shell inspection after repairs, sealing, a monitoring program and written service reports help. See restaurant rodent control and our guide to restaurant rodent violations in Buncombe County.

Frequently asked questions

Did Helene really increase rodent problems in Asheville?

Pest Control Technology magazine reported in October 2024 that an Asheville pest control company saw more customers needing rodent service after the storm, and its owner linked it to wet ground and flooding.

Can I get sick cleaning up a flooded basement with rodent droppings?

The CDC notes leptospirosis risk rises after floods and that hantavirus can get into the air when droppings are stirred up. Wear gloves and boots, wet droppings with disinfectant and do not sweep or vacuum.

Should I have my house inspected after flood repairs?

Yes. New pipes, ducts, doors and siding often leave gaps, and repaired buildings near debris piles draw rodents.

Rats are living in my debris pile. What do I do?

Get the debris removed as fast as possible, set rat traps around the pile's edges away from kids and pets and seal the house so they cannot move in when the pile goes.

Get a rodent technician on the phone

Free to call. You are connected with an independent provider serving Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County. Same-day appointments are often available.