Bazaar
Tornado in Pennsylvania Leaves Behind Destruction, Six Injured (PHOTOS) | The Weather Channel
Advertisement
Advertisement

Tornado in Pennsylvania Leaves Behind Destruction, Six Injured (PHOTOS)

Ashley Furniture HomeStore co-owner Darrin Gallagher looks out through a missing wall on the second floor of the business in Wilkes-Barre Twp., Pa., on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Ashley Furniture was one of multiple businesses heavily damaged by a tornado on Wednesday night. Gallagher said he is actively looking for a temporary location for his furniture store and he expects it will take years to rebuild his damaged original location. (Christopher Dolan/The Citizens' Voice via AP)
1/38
Ashley Furniture HomeStore co-owner Darrin Gallagher looks out through a missing wall on the second floor of the business in Wilkes-Barre Twp., Pa., on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Ashley Furniture was one of multiple businesses heavily damaged by a tornado on Wednesday night. Gallagher said he is actively looking for a temporary location for his furniture store and he expects it will take years to rebuild his damaged original location. (Christopher Dolan/The Citizens' Voice via AP)

A confirmed EF2 tornado left behind a trail of destruction in parts of Pennsylvania Wednesday night, damaging several structures in a Wilkes-Barre Township shopping plaza and injuring at least six people. 

The still-unrated twister flipped vehicles and shattered storefronts, including a Panera Bread, where the roof was ripped off, and a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Trees and powerlines were knocked down by the storm as well. The Arena Hub shopping plaza parking lot and surrounding areas were littered with debris Thursday morning as officials searched for anyone who may have been trapped in the rubble. Wilkes-Barre Township Police Chief Ron Smith reported that part of a sign from a Dick's Sporting Goods was found miles away in Bear Creek.

"Had the storm happened during rush hour or an hour earlier, the damage and injuries could have been a lot worse," Red Cross Executive Director Bill Goldsworthy told the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. 

At least one home was destroyed in Franklin Township in western Pennsylvania by a second EF2 tornado, which was confirmed Thursday by the National Weather Service. 

Advertisement