Ben Taylor was seven when he saw the River Murray swell to peak levels in the Riverland in 1974.
"I just remember seeing the the huge expanse of floodwater back then," he said.
"As a kid, it wasn't too much of a worry for me."
Now he is seeing rising flood waters through different eyes, as water levels have surpassed 1974 peaks and are only expected to rise.
"There's a lot of anxiety," he said.
"People are getting pretty nervous about the rising water.
"All of them talk all of the time, wherever you go is, 'Where do you think it's going to peak at'?"
Mr Taylor, an almond grower and business owner near Berri, has his own concerns about the incoming impacts of rising flood waters.
His farm is close to the expanding Murray River and his pumping station that draws water from the river to feed his crops is at risk of being turned off.
"It'd be terrible, it compromises the crop straightaway as soon as one day of water is gone.
"That's going to affect the crop on the trees at the moment."
Mr Taylor said his pumping station was higher than other close by stations, and was calling for SA Power Networks to perform case-by-case investigations when it came to switching off customers, to help reduce financial blows for farmers.
"We've had a really difficult time with the season this year, with lots of late rain and La Niña cycles," he said.
"The Riverland growers in particular are crying out for a normal season."
He said he was quoted $100,000 for a generator to run for two months if power is cut off to his pumping station.
"There's some funding for people that are having to buy generators for irrigation," he said.
"But it's really a drop in the ocean compared to what some growers are having to spend to mitigate that risk."
SA Power Networks' Paul Roberts said the ability to complete case by case analysis is declining with time and rapidly rising flood waters.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the government has been applying pressure on SA Power Networks to avoid disconnecting properties where unnecessary and provide "more active communication" with affected residents.
"We simply ask South Australian Power Networks, don't disconnect power unless it's absolutely necessary and where you are doing it, give as much forewarning as possible," he said.
"Clearly safety has to come first, but to the extent that it can be a more discreet exercise is something we're agitating for and actively lobbying for."
Some aged care residents to be evacuated
Meanwhile, authorities will begin relocating a group of the most vulnerable aged care residents from Renmark this week.
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network chief executive officer, Wayne Champion, said the "first phase of its relocation plan" would be enacted for the aged care facility at Renmark Paringa Hospital.
That phase will see 21 of the most vulnerable residents relocated from Tuesday.
"Over the past 24 hours the height of the river has reached the level which SA Health pre-determined would require planned gradual relocation of the most vulnerable residents," Mr Champion said.
The hospital is close to a levee that was identified as requiring urgent works, which were completed last month.
Mr Champion said the work on the levee "gives us the opportunity to gradually relocate these residents as a precautionary measure".
"Riverland Mallee Coorong LHN has a high level confidence in the work the Renmark Paringa District Council has completed in strengthening the hospital levee," he said.
"However, we have a number of vulnerable aged care residents who are mobility impaired in the Renmark Paringa District Hospital's aged care facility, who would be difficult to evacuate quickly, with a staged relocation the much preferred option."
The aged care facility has 81 residents.
Mr Champion said the residents would be moved to other facilities within the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, and their families had been contacted.
