the explosion opened a two-mile hole, flooding more than 130,000 acres of farmland in neighboring missouri. >> when you look at that, what do you think? >> i'm very sad. i look at that and i don't have a home. >> reporter: marilyn's farm has been in her family for three generations. two still be dry if the federal government hadn't blown up the levee. >> i feel like that we're having to suffer for somebody else. >> reporter: farmers ray and roy presson have 2,000 acres under water. >> we've always lived with the idea that some day they might have to blow it. the waters kept rising and we knew they would blow it. we don't like it but we have to accept it. >> reporter: the plan since 1928 has always been that if cairo, a city of 15,000 at the time, was in danger of flooding, the levee would be opened to save the city. but back then, things were much different. cairo was a vibrant river