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Ga. residents warned of stagnant water after flood

Steve Logan wheels out items out of his sister's house that were ruined when heavy rains caused Sweetwater Creek to overflow its banks and flood her house Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Tina Hill, right, and daughter Taylor Hill look at a photo album outside of their West 8th Street home, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 in Chickamauga, Ga. . The familiy was cleaning items out of a storage area that was flooded Monday evening. Ms. Hill says that she lost many of her Christmas decorations, but found a box of keepsake baby items that were still dry. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Angela Lewsi)

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Mud encased bicycles lay strewn in front of a house in Lilburn after flood waters from the Yellow River receded from it, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Austell, Ga. A newly built deck on the back of the house was nowhere to be found. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Clifton Hart, right, takes items ruined by floodwaters from Sweetwater Creek to a dumpster as family members sort through other items taken out of their basement after the water receded out of the house, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Austell, Ga.(AP Photo/John Amis)

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Photos: Flooding in Georgia

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Jennifer Bozeman, 19, and Nabor Torres stand at the edge of Sweetwater Creek after it overflowed its banks and left the mobile home park where they live flooded Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)

AP Photo/John Amis Jennifer Bozeman, 19, and Nabor Torres stand at the edge of Sweetwater Creek after it overflowed its banks and left the mobile home park where they live flooded Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)

By DIONNE WALKER, The Associated Press Updated 7:51 PM Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ATLANTA — Georgia residents returning Wednesday 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 County in the Atlanta area. 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 Wednesday.

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

Residents of Stephens and Douglas counties were without running water late Wednesday morning, the emergency management agency said.

President Barack Obama assured Georgia officials that requests for federal aid to deal with the flooding will receive prompt attention, the White House said Wednesday. 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.

At least 10 deaths in Georgia and Alabama were blamed on the torrential downpours in the Southeast. The storms finally relented and relief was in sight with just a slight chance of rain Wednesday, but the onslaught left many parts of the region in stagnant water.

Those 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 a 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."

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September 23, 2009 11:49 PM EDT

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