SH0CK: Strictly Come Dancing star forced to evacuate home due to flooding
Former Dancing With the Stars contestant Martin Kove was forced to flee his home due to floods (Image: John McCoy/UPI/Shutterstock)
Former Dancing With the Stars contestant Martin Kove was forced to flee his Tennessee home after heavy rainfall inundated his property. The actor, best known for playing John Kreese in The Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai, shared the devastating news online. He revealed that first responders arrived at his house by boat to help him, his partner and their new puppy, Winston, to safety.
He penned: “Well, I had to evacuate my house in Nashville. They had to bring a boat up to my front door. We made it out. My new dog Winston and my lady friend and house are fine.”
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Sharing a clip of the intense floods near his home and a picture of himself posing alongside the first responders who helped him, he praised the crew for their efforts online. He went on: “In Kreese fashion, but God bless the fire department first responders, they showed that flood shows no mercy! [muscle emoji] Cobra Kai never dies! [punching emoji].”
It didn’t take long for fans to flock to the comments section to share their concern and well-wishes online. One user penned: “Glad you guys are safe!!” as another echoed: “Glad you’re all safe, Godspeed [heart emoji].”
Williamson County Fire and Rescue service replied: “Happy to help! We are thankful for everyone’s safety!” Kove told FOX 17 News that he had recently returned home with his 12-week-old puppy after picking him up from a breeder in Omaha.
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As the heavy rain continued. He noticed the water surrounding his home gradually rising. The TV star told the news station: “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, like a Mississippi River. I had not expected anything like this; the entire house was surrounded.”
Kove said he has lived at the property for about five years but had never witnessed flooding this severe. Eventually, emergency responders reached Kove’s property by boat.
He estimated around 25 emergency vehicles gathered near the end of his driveway and repeatedly thanked the firefighters, police officers and other first responders involved. Kove gushed: “We don’t realise that these people put themselves on the line.
“They put their lives on the line to save the 12-week-old beast and, you know, myself and my lady.” The rescue team couldn’t help but poke fun at the actor’s famous role in The Karate Kid, joking about Kreese’s “no mercy” philosophy as they helped.
Kove chuckled: “The responders said that. They said, ‘There was no mercy here’. But there was mercy here. Martin Kove received a lot of mercy from God.” Although the floodwater didn’t enter Kove’s home, he said the property sustained damage, including fencing and outdoor furniture that were swept away. A chair from an old barn was also left lodged in a tree.
