WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The pictures tell the story—late at night, June 13, 2018, a tornado touched down in Wilkes-Barre Township.
The Arena Hub shopping center was ground zero. Stores and businesses were torn apart by the force of the wind. Power lines were torn down, and electricity was out.
Debris was everywhere; some of it was found miles away.
Big names involved included Lowes, Barnes and Noble, TJ Maxx, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Wilkes-Barre Township officials say that even though they were hit hard, they were actually lucky. The twister touched down around 10 p.m. when most businesses were closed, and the parking lots were mostly empty.
One official said there would have been "massive fatalities" if the storm hit just a few hours earlier.
The National Weather Service says the tornado was in the EF 2 category, with winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour.
State and local government officials say the tornado damaged two dozen businesses and caused more than $18 million in damage.
Some buildings could be repaired. Others were a total loss and had to be torn down.
Some businesses tried to stay open, moving to temporary locations.
Others closed altogether while repairs were made, leaving employees out of work, at least temporarily.
New businesses came in to replace the ones destroyed. The U Haul center was out, and Hobby Lobby came in.
The tornado wiped out Panera Bread in 2018. Its new store opened three years later.
There were some things that defied analysis. Even though some businesses were reduced to rubble, a flower tent along Mundy Street remained standing.
The tornado lasted minutes, the recovery, months; the memories, years.