"I Hid in a Freezer to Survive the Oklahoma Tornado"

In the wake of this week's deadly tornado in Oklahoma, 22-year-old Oklahoma State University student (and Cosmo reader) Cinnamon wrote to us to share her story.

When I woke up on Monday morning, I never thought my Oklahoma hometown would be so devastated by the time I went to sleep.

I was leaving an eye doctor appointment in Moore (where I went to high school) at around 2:50 pm on Monday afternoon when I heard a newscaster on TV announcing that everyone needed to take shelter-immediately-because the tornado was going to hit within 30 minutes. I called my mom, who lives nearby in Oklahoma City, to come pick me up so we could make it home before things got scary. But while I was waiting for her, the doctor's office decided to close so everyone could get home. I ran next door to a gas station, but when I got there, my mom called saying the road was blocked and she was unable to reach me.

Needless to say, I was really afraid. We go through tornado watches all the time here in Oklahoma, but I was worried because we were being told that this storm could be as treacherous as the May 3, 1999 tornado that killed 41 people. I believed my home would be safe because past tornadoes have missed it. But I knew that I was here alone in Moore, the area that has been hit before, and I just wanted to be around familiar faces in case these were my last happy moments.

About five minutes after my mom called, people in the area started to panic and began running into the gas station. You could hear the sirens and it was very dark, but you could see the tornado barreling toward us. It was still up in the air but you could see it heading towards earth, with wind swirling everywhere. Everyone was talking with each other and trying to decide where we would be safest. At that point I looked outside the window and saw the funnel of the tornado right above our heads. It sounded just like a freight train.

Related: Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath: Here's How You Can Help

A bunch of us ran into the walk-in freezer, taking the time to help each other in. There were about 25 of us packed in there, including a couple from New York with their dog. They were really scared, having never seen a tornado before, so another couple and I were trying to calm them down. We were all freezing, but we were talking about our families or joking around that if we were going to be stuck here, at least we had ice cream and beer. None of us had service on our phones and we could barely hear the radio, so we really had no clue what was going on. We waited in the freezer for about 40 minutes until we couldn't hear the tornado roaring outside anymore. We hoped at that point that the coast was clear. Everyone was smiling and looked so relieved when we finally, reluctantly, stepped out of the freezer.

My mom was able to pick me up soon after. We didn't say much but we both had huge smiles and tears in our eyes when I jumped in the car. We took off fast for home and when we got there safely, exchanged "I love you's." I learned my family was without electricity, but through social media I realized that the tornado had hit another gas station in Moore a mile from where I was, and three people who also took refuge in a freezer were killed.

Two days later, it's just neat seeing everyone come together and feel how Oklahoma as a whole is trying to help us. But it's heartbreaking hearing the stories of the elementary school kids, and when we leave our house to grab food, since we're still without electricity, we see how many people have lost their homes. I feel very grateful to be safe, but at the same time I feel sad for the people who weren't as lucky.

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