City police say they’ve received several complaints from homeowners in flooded areas regarding the removal of property from the yards.
Thunder Bay Police Service officials state in a news release issued Monday that flood victims have been removing wet and damaged furniture, appliances and other household items from their homes and placing them outside to dry or dispose of.
As a result, police believe people are scavenging the area and taking some of these items without permission from the property owners.
Police believe the people involved may believe that the items were placed outside are free for the taking, however, in many cases that is not what homeowners have intended.
Police are now warning people scavenging flooded neighbourhoods that their actions could be an act of theft, or that the items being taken could be contaminated.
"Get permission from the property owner before you help yourself to damaged goods,” local police chief J.P. Levesque said in a statement provided to media. “Know what you're picking up first."
