The May 2010 flood is the defining water event in Franklin. The City of Franklin reported 14.8 inches of rain at its Wastewater Plant and about 440 structures damaged, according to the city's fire department history. The flood showed how quickly a single storm can fill the lower ground of the city, and the record is the reference for water calls in the lower streets and along the creek channels.
Key takeaways
- The City of Franklin reported 14.8 inches of rain at its Wastewater Plant during the May 2010 flood.
- The city reported damage to 440 structures from that flood.
- The flood is the local reference for how fast lower ground and creek channels can fill.
- The record does not say which individual houses were reached, so each property's readings answer that question.
- The lessons are practical: check low ground, test the sump and keep a dated record.
What happened in May 2010?
A single storm delivered a very large volume of rain to Franklin in a short period, and the creeks and the low streets filled faster than the drains could carry the water away.
The City of Franklin's fire department history records 14.8 inches of rain at the Wastewater Plant during the flood, and it records damage to 440 structures. Crews worked through the city and the county over the following hours, and the response is part of the city's own history of the event.
The record is a city record, and it describes the event across the city. It is the right starting point for any homeowner who wants to understand how high water can rise in Franklin, but it does not say which streets or houses were reached, and a property's own readings are the only answer for that property.
Why do the lower streets and the creek channels matter?
Because water runs to the lowest ground, and the creek channels that cross the lower streets are where overflow starts. A house near a channel or on a low street is the first to be reached in a large storm.
The Harpeth River and its creeks drain Williamson County. Overflow starts in the channels and spreads across the ground lower than their banks, and the lower streets are where it gathers.
A homeowner on a low street should treat heavy rain as a reason to check the lowest parts of the lot, the window wells, the garage threshold and the basement wall. A line of silt or a damp mark that appears after a storm is worth a photograph.
What does the record mean for a house built since 2010?
It means that the same kind of storm can still deliver water to the lower ground, and that the house's own grading, drains and sump decide how the water behaves on the lot.
Many houses built since 2010 are on lots graded to the drainage plan of their subdivision. A drainage swale, a detention area or a culvert on the lot can carry water away, but a blocked one sends the water toward the house.
A homeowner should know where the subdivision's drainage features are and whether they are maintained. The homeowners' association or the city can say who is responsible for each feature.
What should a homeowner do now?
Test the sump pump, clear the drains, walk the lot after heavy rain and keep a dated record of each storm and each check.
Test the sump before each storm season by raising the float and watching the pump run. Clear the window wells and the floor drain, and check the discharge line for a kink or a blockage.
Keep a dated note of each heavy storm, the water line if there was one and the condition of the lot. Over several seasons the note shows whether the lot is taking more water or less, and it is evidence if a claim is made.
- Test the sump and the discharge line before each storm season
- Clear the window wells, the floor drain and the drainage swales
- Walk the lot after heavy rain and note any silt or water line
- Photograph the lower walls and the garage threshold in dry weather
- Keep a dated record of storms, checks and repairs
How should the record be used in a claim?
The city record describes the event, and the property record describes the house. The insurer and the crew look at both, so the homeowner should keep the property record in order.
A claim is judged on the property's own evidence, such as the water line on the house, the readings and the photographs, and on the cause. The city record gives context, but it does not replace the property record.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is the state agency that takes homeowner claim complaints. A homeowner with a disputed flood claim should ask the insurer for its reasons in writing.
What else should the homeowner know about flood and water in the county?
Flood is generally excluded from standard homeowner policies, so a separate flood policy or an endorsement is the usual way to cover it.
Standard policies typically exclude flood and surface water. A homeowner in a low area should read the exclusions and ask the agent about flood coverage before a storm.
The city and the county maintain the public drains and the creek channels. The homeowner maintains the drains on the property, and the cleanup record notes where the water came from.
What the city's own response record shows
The city's fire department records describe the rescues and the cleanup across the city and the county in the days after the flood.
The record kept by the city's fire department describes the response in the days after the flood, including rescues in the city and the county over the following hours. Those records are a good example of the kind of record a homeowner should keep: dated, specific and tied to a place.
A homeowner who wants the city's full account can ask the city for its records of the event. The figures in this guide come from the city's own history and are attributed to it.
Lessons for the lower streets
Lower streets gain from a few deliberate habits after a flood.
Walk the street after each heavy rain and note where the water stands longest. A low point on the street is often the low point of the yards beside it, and the lot grading and the threshold are where the water enters.
Talk with the neighbors about what each saw in past storms. A shared record across a block helps every household understand the path, and it costs nothing but a conversation.
Practical steps before the next big storm
A short set of steps reduces the risk of a repeat loss on a low lot.
Test the sump, clear the window wells, check the garage threshold and look at the drainage on the lot. Each of these is cheap and each is a common entry point for flood water.
Keep a dated photograph of the lower walls and the threshold in dry weather. It is the baseline that the next storm is measured against.
Why one storm could fill the city's low ground
A single very large rain can fill ground that drains well in ordinary weather, because the soil is saturated and the drains are full.
Soil that is already wet from earlier rain cannot absorb a sudden heavy storm, so the water runs off the surface. The drains then fill, and water backs up onto the streets and into the low yards. The 2010 record reflects that pattern, and it applies to any heavy storm on saturated ground.
A homeowner can check the soil in wet weather: standing water in the yard after a storm that is still there the next morning shows that the ground and the drains are not carrying the water away.
How the record helps a homeowner talk to the insurer
The city's record gives context, and the property's own record gives the evidence.
An insurer looks at the property's own water line, readings and photographs first. The city's record of the event explains why the storm was large, and it can help the homeowner describe the scale of the water. It does not decide the claim.
A homeowner should not rely on the city's figures to describe a particular house. The house's own record should say what happened there, and the city record should be cited only as context.
What a lower-street homeowner can change permanently
Some changes to a lot reduce the chance of the next flood reaching the house, and they are worth planning.
Regrading the lot so the soil slopes away from the foundation, fitting a backwater valve on the sewer line and raising the sump discharge above the lowest grade are three changes that a qualified contractor can carry out. Each is a permanent step, and each should be planned with the contractor who does that work.
A homeowner should ask the city about any permit a regrade or a drainage change needs before the work begins. The permit office answers that question for the property.
Reading the water line on a lower wall
The water line on a wall shows the height of the flood, and it is one of the most useful records a homeowner can keep.
A line of silt or a stain at a consistent height on a wall shows how high the water rose in that room. Photograph it with a scale and a date, and measure its height above the floor. Compare that with the same wall after later storms to see whether the water rises higher or lower over time.
The line is evidence for the insurer and for the crew, and it shows which part of the house the flood reached. It should not be painted over before it has been photographed and measured.
The city's drains and the homeowner's drains
The public drains belong to the city, and the drains on the property belong to the homeowner.
A homeowner who sees a public drain blocked after a storm should report it to the city. The homeowner is responsible for the drains on the property, including the floor drain, the sump and the yard drains that connect to the house.
Keeping the two separate in the record helps the insurer see whether the water came from the public system or from the property.
Frequently asked questions
Did the 2010 flood reach every street in Franklin?
The record gives the city-wide figures. It does not list every street, so the readings on a property are the answer for that property.
Does the record mean my house will flood again?
No. It describes what a large storm did once. Whether a house floods again depends on its grading, its drains and the storm.
Who maintains the creek?
The public channels are maintained by the public authorities. The homeowner is responsible for the drains and grading on the property.
Where can I see the city's own account?
The City of Franklin publishes its own history, including fire department records of the event. The city is the source for the figures quoted here.
Sources
This guide is general information for Williamson County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.