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Arena Hub Plaza: Six Months After Tornado

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Business was brisk at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township Monday evening. A tornado with winds up to 130 miles per h...

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Business was brisk at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township Monday evening. A tornado with winds up to 130 miles per hour tore through the shopping complex back in June.

"Oh, it was crazy! It was the middle of summer. I remember sitting there on the couch with my kids watching TV, and it was just nuts," said Debbie Yeager of Drums. "Now, I was just in Dick's and it's like, six months ago this place was destroyed. It's crazy when you think about it."

The storm in June forced several stores in the shopping complex to close for months as contractors worked around the clock on repairs.

"It's just a lot to think about because of how quickly it happened and how some stores were completely fine and others were destroyed and had to be torn down," said Rachel Habib of Harveys Lake.

Now, six months later, we found shoppers who are grateful the stores are back for the holiday season.

"I thought it was busy, but the staff didn't think it was that busy but it's definitely packed in there," said John Gollmer of Pittston.

Most recently, the Dick's Sporting Goods store and T.J. Maxx reopened in mid-November, just before black Friday.

"With T.J. Maxx here, everything is so cheap in there, and they have everything you could ever want to buy people gifts," said Sarah Strazdus of Harding.

The one store that still hasn't reopened at the Arena Hub Plaza is Barnes and Noble bookstore. It does have a temporary location set up nearby on Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre.

The Barnes and Noble store at the Arena Hub Plaza is set to reopen next month.

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