At last some good news for New Yorkers: Thousands of RATS may have drowned in superstorm as water swept into city's tunnels

At last some good news for New Yorkers: Thousands of RATS may have drowned in superstorm as water swept into city's tunnels

• Water rushed into tunnels so fast that most rats would have drowned
• Any survivors will be treated to a garbage feast once things dry out
• Health risks now depend on how quickly subway tunnels can be cleared

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, fears were rife that the streets would be overrun with rats escaping the flooded tunnels and subways.

But it now looks as if those fears may have been groundless as there have not, as yet, been any reports of rodents roaming the streets.

Experts are saying the water likely rushed into tunnels so fast that the rats - despite being strong swimmers - had no time to escape and died.

Casualties: A family of rats drowned on the FDR Drive as they were trying to escape the flood waters

Sam Miller, a spokesman for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told Forbes the city has not seen an increase in rats above ground caused by Sandy, adding that while flooding normally does drive them to the streets, it 'also drowns young rats in their burrows and can reduce the rat population'.

Rodentologist Robert Corrigan, who works with the city on keeping populations under control, told LiveScience that baby rats will likely die unless they are carried to safety by their mothers.

Vermin: Fears of a rat influx on New York's streets have so far proven unfounded (stock picture)

Another expert, Herwig Leirs, a rodentologist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, confirmed that most would drown.

'Rats will be carried away by the current and won't be strong enough to swim to the surface and breathe, or they'll be pushed to grates, they will get stuck there and they won't be strong enough to swim against the current,' he said.

However, the rats that are able to survive the floodwaters will be treated to a surge of garbage and food to feast on once things have dried out.

Brazilian glamour model becomes global laughing-stock after posing for photoshoot

A Brazilian glamour model has been slammed for posing against the trail of destruction left by superstorm Sandy.

Nana Gouvea, 30, who has reportedly graced the pages of Playboy, posted a series of images to her Facebook page showing her leaning against fallen trees and standing on top of wrecked cars in the streets of New York.

The photographs instantly sparked outcry, and Gawker mocked: ‘The turmoil following a devastating natural disaster is a great opportunity to get out there and try poses, angles, and wardrobe choices you normally wouldn’t.

Provocative: Brazilian model Nana Gouvea has been criticised for posing for photographs in storm-hit New York

Tasteless: Nana Gouvea leans against a fallen tree in a photo-shoot that has been widely condemned

They show pictures of her superimposed onto a number of tragic scenes, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Hindenburg disaster and the death of Mufasa in The Lion King.

Ms Gouvea’s husband, Carlos Keyes, was responsible for capturing the original images of her, which she proudly displayed on her Facebook account.

Stopping traffic: Nana Gouvea, from Brazil, has reportedly graced the pages of Playboy

Shot: Nana Gouvea has her picture taken in front of a tree and a bin brought down by Superstorm Sandy

Disastrous: Undeterred by the storm damage, the 30-year-old leans against a car next to a fallen tree

Ill-conceived: The model poses next to another fallen tree in a tight-fitting black outfit and boots

Photo-shoot: The controversial pictures of Nana Gouvea were taken by her husband, Carlos Keyes

Girl on film: A photographer wearing a cycling helmet takes pictures as the model balances precariously on a career bonnet

She told Spanish magazine, EGO, that the storm has bought them closer together and ‘we actually spent most of the time in bed’, adding that ‘today I will open a bottle of wine’.

According to the publication this is the second hurricane the duo have experienced, as they first met when Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast last August.

‘It was my first trip to New York,’ Ms Gouvea exclaimed, ‘we were in his apartment, watching movies, cooking.’

More than 50 people are known to have died in the storm, thousands of homes are underwater and millions remain without power.

Ms Gouvea goes to Japan: The tactless model is seen photoshopped into scenes from from the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan

Mocked: Critics have poked fun at the brunette model, superimposing her image on to other inappropriate photographs such as this one of racing driver Ayrton Senna's fatal crash

Added: The model's figure appears as a silhouette in this photograph of a fire

Fake: Nana Gouvea's image is included in this doctored photograph of another flooding incident

Devastation: One of the photographs to which the model's picture was added showed Hiroshima, Japan, in the aftermath of a nuclear bomb attack in 1945

Under fire: In this photo-shopped image, the model is shown witnessing the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc in Vietnam in 1963

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Queens Man Pulls Gun, Cuts Fuel Station Line

Queens, NY – Patience is waning on the coast post-Sandy, and while many have stepped up and stood out as heroes, there’s also a darker side to being a post-crisis American, and darker stories of desperation coming on the heels of the super-storm. Case in point: A Queens man who was arrested for pulling a gun as tempers flared over fuel shortages.

The few gas stations left open in the city are patrolled by police and New Yorkers wait in line for hours to fill up, reports MSN. Indeed, things seem dire in The Big Apple.The fight for fuel in New York is growing frightening, even violent. As many without homes, heat, and food desperately scramble for precious fuel to keep their generators running, demand dramatically spikes while supply struggles to meet it.

To wit, 35-year-old Sean Bailey of Queens seemed to reach his breaking point, cutting in line at a gas station on Thursday, and then pulling a gun on the person who called him out for it.

Bailey was arrested on charges of menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, reports The Kennebec Journal.

If Bailey is convicted, he will face 15 years in prison.

Our sympathies continually pour out to victims of Hurricane Sandy, and our hearts are with those involved in such sad stories. Meanwhile, praise is to be heaped upon those who have stepped up in the aftermath of Sandy, particularly our politicians who have largely laid aside partisan politics to come together as Americans.

No matter how desperate things are, nothing is worth the violence or 15 years in prison. Regardless, our hopes are with all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Bodies Of Two Staten Island Boys Swept Away By Hurricane Sandy Found

The bodies of two Staten Island boys who were swept out of their mother’s arms by Hurricane Sandy have been found, the New York Post reports. 

Police arrived at the home of the boys’ mother Glenda Moore Thursday to deliver the news. 

Moore’s sons, 2-year-old Brandon and 4-year-old Connor, were found four days later under debris and trees that had been downed by the storm. The bodies were found about 20 yards apart around 10 am Thursday morning. 

A family friend of Moore’s said, “It’s a shock for everybody right now. She’s in pain.” 

Moore and her husband Damien, stopped by a funeral home to make arrangements for their sons. A friend described the boys as “the joy of their lives.” 

Brandon and Connor Moore were separated from their mother Monday night as she tried to lead them away from the destruction of the hurricane. Moore had been trying to get to her mother’s house in Brooklyn, but her Ford Explorer stalled along Father Capodanno Boulevard as the street began to flood. 

Moore called her husband and then carried the boys out of the SUV, but the water caused her to lose her grip. Moore sought help from nearby houses but was turned away by the people who answered their doors. Moore faced the storm alone, desperately trying to find her children, until rescuers found her clinging to porch post hours later. 

The boys were found about 30 yards from the corner of Father Capodanno Boulevard and McLaughlin Street, according to law enforcement sources. 

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the deaths of Brandon and Connor Moore were among the worst tragedies of the hurricane ...