By Dionne Walker / SPECIAL

Georgia residents returning to homes soaked by days of torrential rains were warned of a hidden danger: disease-causing bacteria and jagged debris harbored by stagnant, murky water.

Standing water up to several feet deep was still pooled in some neighborhoods, including parts of Cobb and North Fulton. Anyone venturing into a flooded yard or basement should wear rubber waders and surgical gloves, and items that were submerged should be cleaned with disinfectant, state emergency officials said.

Bacteria in water left behind after flooding can infect open wounds, and the soup could also contain harmful chemicals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

“Clorox is going to be your best friend,’’ state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine said.

Flooding at sewage plants in at least four metro area counties along the Chattahoochee River could add human waste and plant debris to the standing water in some neighborhoods, Oxendine added.

President Barack Obama assured Georgia officials that requests for federal aid to deal with the flooding would receive prompt attention, the White House said on Thursday. Obama called Gov. Sonny Perdue late Tuesday after the governor asked Obama to declare a state of emergency in Georgia. Officials estimated $250 million in damage in the state.

The flood-like conditions were keeping about 320 displaced residents at seven shelters around the state on Wednesday, according to estimates from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Johnnie Chavours said she has been praying to pass the time at a Red Cross shelter in Cobb County. She and her sons evacuated their apartment in Lithia Springs Monday night, and there was no word on when they could return.

The family grabbed as much as they could before they were rescued by firefighters on Monday night.

“We seen the water coming in through the wall,’’ Chavours said as she sat on a green cot, rocking a friend’s baby to sleep.

When they left, the water was up to the balcony of her third floor apartment, and her neighbors below were completely submerged. Chavours worries about how much damage was done before she left, but is eager to get home.

“If I have a home there,’’ she said.

Robin Manley returned to her home in Austell to find everything ruined by the flood except for one bag of clothes for herself and her son. They have been staying with friends for the last couple of days.

“I lost everything I have and I don’t have any insurance,’’ said Manley, while moving furniture out of her home with friend on Wednesday. “Now, I just have to figure out how to make it.’’