TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — If you take a drive through Heather Hills Apartments in Temple Hills, you'll see freshly cut lawns leading up to the 50 buildings that make up the complex.
But take a trip inside one of those apartments, and the people who live there like Rushell Fonville say you'll find "mold, mildew, bats," but what will be hard to find is relief from the heat.
"I didn't have bats, but I saw the bats and I still have nightmares like they were in my unit," she told WUSA9.
Fonville explained she's grateful she didn't have bats in her apartment, but she's frustrated that she hasn't had working AC in months.
"As you can see this is what they gave me," she told WUSA9, pointing out a portable air conditioning unit in her living room.
She says they gave her another one, that she put in her bedroom, but neither works very well. The one in her bedroom left a gap in the window.
"This is my daughter's science fair project that I had to cut up to make it more bearable in here," said Fonville.
She and her neighbors explained to WUSA9 that this has been incredibly frustrating.
"My house is 92 degrees," said one tenant named Joyce. She's worried about the impact the heat and her current living conditions will have on her health.
"I have a heart condition, I'm a diabetic and I have a heart condition, so I have to stay cool," she explained.
Fonville said she's already seen the impacts to her family's health.
"My daughter, she's 19, she had to move out because her asthma was acting up. Her asthma's been well controlled for 17 years. We come here she's on a nebulizer she's on breathing treatments," she said.
She says management needs to do better.
"You need to do better. We work hard to pay your rent on the first. Work hard to make sure we have comfortability," said Fonville.
"I shouldn't have to live like this," echoed Joyce.
As for the bats, Tuesday night, Prince George's County told WUSA9 that the PG County Health Department is aware of reports from residents about bats in their units and that the property management has distributed letters written by the Health Department to all 50 buildings.
WUSA9 found the following letter posted on the door of each of the buildings in the complex:
The Prince George's County Health Department is alerting community members of complaints of bat sightings in some of the Heather Hills Apartment buildings on Fisher Road in Temple Hills.
The Health Department is working with the complex management team and the Animal Services Division to identify and remove the bats. Bats are known to carry rabies, so it is imperative that they are removed in a swift and safe manner. The Health Department and the Animal Services Division can advise individuals on what to do if they or their pets are exposed to rabies.
If you know of any persons or pets who may have had contact with a bat in this area between early 2024 until now, please contact the Health Department immediately at 301-583-3750 during regular business hours or at 240-508-5774, after-hours, and on weekends or holidays.
If a bat is found in your unit, please contact the Animal Services Division at 301-780-7200 during regular business hours or at 301-780-7223, after-hours, or on holidays or weekends.
Rabies is a fatal disease that is transmitted by a bite or scratch from an infected animal. However, after an exposure, rabies can be prevented with prompt action. People bitten or scratched by a rabid animal should receive rabies post-exposure vaccination which is a onetime dose of Rabies Immune Globulin (RIG) and 4 doses of rabies vaccine given over a 2-weeks.
Pets exposed to a rabid animal should immediately receive a rabies booster shot and be quarantined to reduce the risk of human exposures in the event they develop rabies. You should contact your veterinarian or the Animal Services Division for additional recommendations.
Call PGC311 to file an official complaint with the Department of Permitting, Inspection and Enforcement (DPIE) for any concerns about your apartment that would allow bats to enter your unit, such as holes in the walls to the outside or lack of screens on windows.
For more information on how to bat proof your home and protect your household, please visit the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website here:
To learn more about rabies in Maryland, including rabies surveillance statistics and efforts to prevent and control the disease, please visit the Maryland Department of Health website here: