Snakes, Spores and Sewage: Life in the Neighborhood Called the Hole'

"I almost passed out," said Ms. Rodriguez, 38, a stay-at-home mother of two. "The snake's appearance had followed a rat infestation, a septic tank leak, groundwater pooling in her living room and mushroom-like spores growing on her walls."

"All of those extremes are already happening here," said Felicia Singh, a community activist who lives nearby. "As rising sea levels elevate the groundwater table, drainage and sewage flooding are becoming more severe here, even though the neighborhood is miles from the ocean."

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