Bogota , Tennessee ( CNN ) -- Those who say no man is an island never met Danny Hayes . The 61-year-old retired construction supervisor lives in Bogota , Tennessee , a farming community so small that when asked how to find the town , locals respond , `` Do n't blink . '' Hayes ' trailer in Bogota is about seven miles from the Mississippi River . Historic flooding across the region brought `` the Old Muddy '' much closer to him . The two-room trailer is more than 5 feet off the ground , but the river 's invasion reaches Hayes ' door and , at its height , threatened to evict him . `` There 's the possibility the trailer could shift , could turn . Could flip over , '' Hayes said , standing on the trailer 's small porch . `` Then again , I am not worried about that because I will get out . '' The Mississippi 's flooding has already forced hundreds to flee small towns like Bogota to cities like Memphis . And meteorologists say the heavy rainfall across the South could mean weeks more of high water . Whatever comes , Hayes said he will not be moved . `` I 'd say for the average person who grew up in towns , you 'd be in a dangerous situation , '' he said . `` I 'd say a person who learned to live off the land and to survive , it 's not a big thing . '' The one acre of land Hayes retired to is no longer recognizable to him . Groves of pecan trees now stand half-covered in water . Homes abandoned by neighbors sit in several feet of dank and stinking water . To get to dry ground , Hayes paddles a small boat about 50 yards to Highway 78 . Once on shore , he then walks the half-mile to town each day for a pack of cigarettes and a little conversation . The homes around Hayes ' trailer sit empty , but as he waits out the flood , he is hardly alone . Since the waters began to rise , Hayes said , all manner of animals have swum by the trailer , looking for higher ground . The snakes , he shoots . `` It 's illegal to kill snakes in Tennessee , '' he said with a serious look before breaking into a wide smile . `` Unless it 's for your own protection . '' The nine-shot revolver with a long barrel that Hayes keeps close also works to ward off other predators . Empty homes in the rural area could make for an inviting target for looters , he said . But his and his neighbors ' homes are safe , Hayes said , while he patrols his small `` island . '' To make his point , Hayes suddenly shoots the pistol three times in sudden succession into the invading waters . `` I am a crazy old man , '' he said with a laugh , `` And I will shoot the hell out of you , and I am serious about that . '' As he waits for the waters to retreat , Hayes ' family checks in with him regularly by cell phone . His two sons and their families fret about his decision to ride out the flood . But Hayes said he never considered leaving . He 's too stubborn . So stubborn he married and divorced the same woman three times before they finally called it quits . Too stubborn `` to run for the hills over some water . '' `` Rescue all them poor people and do n't worry about this 61-year-old man , '' he said . `` Do n't waste no 911 on me . '' But with the water slowly receding , it appears that Hayes will be spared from the flood 's wet grasp . Still , it could be another week , he predicted , before Bogota begins to dry out . Asked what he will do while the floodwaters retreat , Hayes replied with a ready joke . `` I got to sell this here land , '' he said , `` while it 's still waterfront property ! '' CNN 's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report .
Danny Hayes , 61 , lives in Bogota , Tennessee . The flooded Mississippi River has reached the door of his two-room trailer . Armed with his revolver , he is refusing to evacuate . He says that if they let him stay here, it will be a death sentence for himself and his family.