‘I fainted from fear’: Madison father mourning after losing wife, 2-year-old in tornado

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – When a tornado tore across Davidson County, it bulldozed through homes on Nesbitt Lane in Madison, taking three lives with it.

Shortly after the storm, Metro police identified 37-year-old Joseph Dalton, 31-year-old Floridema Perez, and 2-year-old Anthony Perez as the victims.

On Wednesday, News 2 sat down with a husband and father as he navigates the impossible, just five months after coming to America. He would never have imagined his entire life would change shortly after.

“I saw that all was normal, clear. I didn’t think something big was about to happen,” said Felipe Mendez.

On Saturday, Medez’s life was forever impacted when a tornado barreled through Madison.

“We didn’t feel anything when we heard the ‘boom,'” he described.

The sound struck through the family’s mobile home. When the wind picked up a neighbor’s trailer, it landed on top of Mendez’s home, leaving the family stuck underneath it.

“I felt like I fainted from fear. I fell [and] when I looked up, it was dark and I was under the trailer. In between two pieces of wood, I was able to escape,” he described.

He doesn’t remember a lot of details from that night, but the sounds of his children screaming still ring in his ear.

“When I heard my kids yelling, asking for help, ‘Dad, where are you? Help get us out of here,’ but I also wasn’t able to get out. I was trapped, too, I told them,” said Mendez.

As the storm tore through their home, his wife grabbed their 2-year-old son Anthony in hopes of shielding him from the impact and debris.

“When the storm came, she grabbed the baby and she fell with him,” he said, describing the moment his other children went silent as they yelled out to their father. “‘Mom,’ I said, ‘She’s here sleeping and didn’t want to wake up.'”

His wife and child had died.

The family only arrived in the United States five months ago. Leaving everything behind in Guatemala, they came here to have a better life. He was never prepared for something like this, leaning on faith to carry them through.

“God knows the plan, the purpose,” Mendez said.