The past week has been difficult for many as they've spent days tearing up their basements and sorting through flood-soaked mementos, but not even damaged goods are safe from a new threat — scavengers.

Bryan Desjarlais said seeing people pull up and sort through the pieces of his life is almost worse than the flooding that filled his basement and about 5,000 other basements across Windsor-Essex.

"I'm sitting there watching, and there's like two or three cars here, and they're picking through everything," he said.

Bryan Desjarlais said many of the flood-damaged items were soaked by sewer back up. (Meg Roberts/CBC)

Mountains of debris and soaked furniture line streets across the region. City officials organized a special garbage cleanup over the weekend, but in places where piles of trash still tower, the pickers have descended.

Kari Laing works for On Side Restoration and said it's common for people searching through scraps to leave a big mess behind so some clients have come up with ways to fight back.

"Some people spray paint it. They'll actually take hammers and destroy bigger items," she said. "They'll make it that it is impossible to use because their homes have been invaded already with water and contamination."

Flood victims in Windsor, Ont., are pleading for public help after heavy rain battered the region, damaging thousands of homes 2:02

Many of the goods were doused in sewer back up, according to Desjarlais, who said he's afraid the spoiled items will show up for sale online or at garage sales. He warned people to be careful what they buy because flooded items could come with health concerns.