Recent heavy rainfall and flooding have forced rats from their natural habitats, such as burrows and sewers, leading them to seek shelter in human dwellings, garages, and warehouses. These rodents can infiltrate homes through small openings, even those as little as 2 cm in diameter, by gnawing through plaster or wood, or by entering through pipes. Frédéric Torrelles, technical director at DKM Experts, advises lowering toilet seats and weighing them down if evacuating homes due to floods, and also recommends securing garbage bins and storing food hermetically. Rats can cause material damage by chewing cables and contaminating food, and can also transmit diseases like leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through rat urine, which poses an increased risk during floods.