Sanford, N.C. — Big Lots in Sanford, which closed last year after being battered in tornadoes that swept through the region, is reopening Monday in what employees are calling a testament to determination.

“It’s been a very long road. It took a lot of hard work from a lot of people, and a lot of outside help,” training manager Shawn Hubbard said a few hours before the new store’s 9 a.m. ribbon cutting. “But we’re ready to open up and be ready for our customers.”

The store in the Southeast Plaza Shopping Center was damaged, along with many others, when tornadoes struck the area on April 16, 2011. The Lowe’s in Sanford reopened five months after it was destroyed in the storms.

Hubbard said the new Big Lots brings in 60 jobs.

“Just to look it then compared to now, it’s an amazing recovery,” Hubbard said.