Jonestown marina destroyed by nature

"It went from a little trickle to a major river in eight minutes and 40 seconds," said Gary Fiveash, who shot some home video. "I thought, 'I'm fixing to loser out boat dock!'"

Fiveash said a similar situation happened five years ago but not nearly as devastating and this incident became. His daughter, Hanna, has never seen anything like it in her 17 years living by the cove.

"You just see all this water come in," said Hanna. "Then it just gets faster and faster and people, boats go under water."

The heavy destructive rains took everybody by surprise.

"It was a horrific sound," said witness Randy Alexander. "Sounds of sheet metal and steel breaking -- it was not a pretty sound."

• View photos of the damage

"I witnessed a guy's four boats and boat dock just rip off the stairs," said Daniel Heiser, another witness. "Just head on down river with everything else. It's pretty wild."

As the waters recede, the cleanup begins, but it will likely be several days or longer. In the meantime, those who remember the good times at the marina said, "That's life."

"I mean, the good times never stay," added Gary. "And the bad times always go away so that's how I look at it, man."

Several homeowners said they'll eventually rebuild their docks. They call it the cost of living on the lake.