WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The cleanup continues after Wednesday night's tornado in Luzerne County. But the lights are coming back on and businesses are reopening.
Many of the businesses in the Arena Hub Plaza that were closed because of power outages from last week's tornado are now open for business.
Businesses open Sunday afternoon include Lowes, Ulta, Five Below, Michaels, Best Buy, The Shoe Department, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Bed Bath and Beyond, as well as Target and the stores in that area.
Stores that are closed due to damage have been fenced off, and crews are cleaning up and getting the buildings safe.
Newswatch 16 spoke with the landlord of the plaza as well as someone spearheading the recovery efforts.
"It's like a Christmas tree. They're slowly starting to light up. Some of the other stores, Barnes and Noble, Dick's, and TJ Maxx, you know they're gonna take some time to get cleaned up and fixed, but we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," said Robert Tamburro, landlord.
"We are just mainly completing the initial disaster cleanup of all the building materials and whatever else has been flung from the tornado, getting everything watertight," said Patrick Messner, Belfor Property Restoration.
The landlord tells Newswatch 16 crews have lucked out with the weather after the storm. The sunshine has allowed crews to work to repair roofs.
There is no time estimate yet as to when Dick's Sporting Goods, Barnes and Noble, and others that were heavily damaged, will be back open for business.