WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — People in Luzerne County remember the tornado that hit more than 20 businesses and left millions of dollars of damage.
That tornado touched down at the plazas near the Wyoming Valley Mall on June 13, three years ago.
Courtney O'Meara of Plains Township remembers her disbelief after hearing a twister had torn through the shopping plazas in Wilkes-Barre Township three years ago.
“I just thought, here?” O’Meara laughed. “Like there's no way a tornado hit here.”
Emergency officials said an EF 2 tornado touched down in the area of the Arena Hub Plaza and the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons the evening of June 13, 2018.
23 businesses, including Lowe's, Barnes and Noble, TJ Maxx, Dick's, and U-Haul, were all impacted by the tornado that caused at least $18 million worth of damage.
Steve Gillman from Susquehanna County was there that day.
“We were just getting ready to go into Music Go-Round. It was down, right down the corner down there. And it took that building out, came up, took a lot of these buildings out,” said Gillman of Brooklyn Township, who was with his wife that day.
Brandon Savokinas from Hughstown was at Target when the storm came through. He came out to see the damage the next day.
“And I drove up here. Barnes and Nobles was destroyed, like all these places were destroyed, like it was bad,” said Savokinas.
Savokinas's girlfriend was with him. She says they had to cut through the Wyoming Valley Mall's parking lot to see it.
“The trucks, the U-Haul trucks were actually in the middle of the street, and that's why we couldn't get over into that street,” said Nikki Price from Dupont.
People say while they were stunned with all the damage the tornado left behind, they were even more shocked at the one thing the tornado left standing.
“Everything but the flower tent was hit essentially,” said O’Meara, remembering how pictures on the flower went viral on social media.
“That flower tent was still standing, which was crazy,” laughed Price.
Some buildings were so damaged they had to be rebuilt, including a Panera.
That restaurant just reopened earlier this month.