'Cobra Kai' star Martin Kove rescued from Franklin flash flood.
“The Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai” actor Martin Kove found himself in a real-life rescue this weekend after floodwaters surrounded his Franklin-area home, an experience he says is raising questions about development and where water will go as the area continues to grow.
Kove, known for playing John Kreese in “The Karate Kid” franchise and Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” said first responders reached him, a friend and his new 12-week-old puppy, Winston, by boat after Five Mile Creek rose around his property.
Kove said he had just returned home with Winston after picking up the puppy from a breeder in Omaha. By Saturday, persistent rain had transformed the property around him.
“I’m sitting in the back, watching a movie, and then all of a sudden I get up and I just look out the back and there’s a river, like a major river,” Kove told FOX 17 News. “Like a Mississippi River.”
When he walked to the front of the home, Kove said raging water was within roughly 10 feet of the building.
“I had not experienced anything like this,” he said. “The entire house was surrounded.”
‘There was mercy here’
Kove called 911 but said he urged dispatchers not to make him the priority after learning other neighbors were also dealing with emergencies, including a nearby family he was told had water inside their home.
Williamson County Emergency Management Agency said thunderstorms and heavy rainfall Saturday night prompted a multi-agency welfare check and evacuation effort after Five-Mile Creek flooded.
Multiple agencies worked together to check on residents and help with evacuations. The county's 911 center also managed emergency calls and coordinated radio traffic.
FOX 17's previous coverage reported flooding along the West Harpeth River and other areas west of Interstate 65, with authorities urging drivers to use extreme caution and never drive through floodwaters.
Eventually, first responders made their way to Kove’s property by boat.
Kove estimated roughly 25 emergency vehicles had gathered near the end of his driveway and repeatedly praised the firefighters, police officers and other first responders who came to help.
We don’t realize that these people put themselves on the line,” Kove said. “They put their lives on the lines to save the 12-week-old beast and, you know, myself and my lady.
The rescue even brought a little humor from the franchise that made Kove famous.
Kove said some of the first responders were “Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai” fans and referenced Kreese’s famous “no mercy” philosophy.
“The responders said that. They said, ‘There was no mercy here,’” Kove recalled. “But there was mercy here. Martin Kove received a lot of mercy from God.”
Kove said his children later got in on the joke, sending him a life vest that arrived at his home Monday.
‘I’ve never seen a flood’
Kove said he has lived at the property for about five years and has received plenty of flash flood warnings during that time.
But he said he had never seen the water do this.
“No, I’ve never seen a flood,” Kove said. “Every time there’s a flash warning, and they’re very conscientious about sending you a flash flood warning on the phone it was just a rainfall with lots of thunder.”
Kove said a neighbor told him the property was also impacted during the historic 2010 flooding, when the people living there at the time were taken out by canoe.
This time, Kove said the water did not enter his home, but the force was evident once it receded. He found outdoor furniture swept into the woods and creek, damaged fencing and even a chair from an old barn lodged in a tree.
The experience has Kove thinking about more than just this weekend’s rainfall.
What role could development play?
Kove said he believes the amount of development occurring around Middle Tennessee is something local leaders need to consider when planning for future flooding.
“Where there was a creek or where there were just forests, now is replaced by concrete. Now is replaced by foundations,” Kove said. “And the water doesn’t have a place to be displaced to.”
Kove acknowledged he is not a construction or stormwater expert. His concern, however, echoes questions raised by some residents as Franklin continues to develop: How does replacing undeveloped land with roads, buildings and other impervious surfaces affect where stormwater goes?
“It’s a tough answer,” Kove said. “When you have a giant project that’s coming in with an immense amount of building, where do we displace the water when the wet season comes?”
There is no evidence at this point establishing that development caused the flooding at Kove’s property this weekend. FOX 17 News is asking local officials what role, if any, existing development played and how flood risks are being considered as additional projects move forward.
Old Peytonsville Road-Long Lane connection moving forward
One of those projects is Franklin’s long-planned connection between Old Peytonsville Road and Long Lane across Interstate 65.
The unusual piece of infrastructure is already visible from the interstate. An overpass was constructed across I-65 years ago, but the roadway on either side has yet to be completed to create the full connection.
City records show the project has moved into the right-of-way acquisition and bidding phase.
The planned project would connect Old Peytonsville Road west of I-65 with Long Lane to the east, creating another east-west route through a part of Franklin experiencing continued development. It would cross I-65 but would not create a new interstate interchange.
The project has been planned for years as part of Franklin’s larger transportation network.
Its movement forward, however, comes as some residents raise concerns about additional development and its potential effect on drainage in an area already familiar with flooding.
The connector itself has not yet been completed, and there is no evidence linking the future roadway to this weekend’s flooding.
When you have a giant project that's coming in with an immense amount of building, where do we displace the water when the wet season comes,” Kove said.
FOX 17 News has reached out to City of Franklin planning officials and Williamson County leaders asking what flood and stormwater studies have been conducted for the connector and surrounding development, what mitigation measures are required, and whether the latest flooding will prompt any additional review.
Nearly century-old bridge over Harpeth being replaced
Another major infrastructure project is already underway just up the Harpeth River.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is replacing the nearly century-old East Main Street bridge over the Harpeth.
Unlike concerns being raised about how new development could affect runoff, the bridge replacement is expected to improve the movement of water through that portion of the river.
According to project information, the replacement is designed to improve hydraulic conditions at the crossing and help remove some upstream properties from the floodplain.
Together, the projects illustrate a challenge facing Franklin as it grows: adding infrastructure needed for a larger community while accounting for the creeks, rivers and flood-prone areas that have long shaped the landscape.
For Kove, that broader discussion now comes with a firsthand understanding of what those waterways can do.
Despite the experience, he said he doesn’t plan to pack up and leave Tennessee.
Nashville and the people here are wonderful,” Kove said.
In fact, Kove said the damage was minor compared with what could have happened.
The actor has experienced disasters before, including losing his California ranch in a 1978 fire. He said that experience taught him that possessions can be replaced.
I've been through disasters before where I lost my ranch and everything,” Kove said. “And it all was replaced.”
And after watching first responders navigate the floodwaters to get him, his friend and Winston to safety, Kove said he’s leaving the experience with a new appreciation for the people who show up when those waters rise.
