Valencia nonetheless struggling to get better from devastating floods | EUROtoday

Pascual Andreu factors proudly to a black-and-white {photograph} caught to the wall of the premises of his chocolate-making enterprise. Staring out from it’s his grandfather, who began the corporate in 1914.

But, as he seems round him and remembers the destruction brought on by the flash floods which struck the jap Spanish area of Valencia on 29 October, tears effectively up in Andreu’s eyes.

“The water came in and water and mud covered everything,” he says. “And when it had gone, it left a terrible sight. All the stock we had was ruined, the machinery was useless.”

He provides: “All my life working. And for what?”

The floodwater left a six-feet-high (1.8m) mark on the wall, and though the water has now gone, mud nonetheless clings to the machines. Miraculously, the photograph of his grandfather was not washed away.

But, now in his sixties, and nonetheless ready to see how a lot insurance coverage cash he may obtain, Andreu is just too disheartened to begin over.

The flash flood killed greater than 220 folks within the Valencia area, lots of them caught of their vehicles, or on the bottom flooring of buildings when the tsunami-like waters hit. But in addition to claiming lives, the catastrophe additionally devastated livelihoods. Valencia’s chamber of commerce estimated that 48,000 corporations have been affected.

The cities and industrial belt surrounding the Mediterranean metropolis of Valencia, which itself averted the impression of the floods, have been the worst hit. In complete, the province of Valencia represents 5% of Spain’s GDP, based on CaixaBank Research, which estimates that the catastrophe might cut back nationwide financial output by one to 2 proportion factors within the fourth quarter of 2024.

Much of the injury has been brought on on industrial estates. Diego Romá, govt president of the federation of commercial estates within the Valencia area (Feteval), says that “thousands and thousands of jobs are in the air” and {that a} complete of 58 industrial estates have been affected by the flood water.

“Most companies are working hard to resume production, but unfortunately there are maybe 10 to 20% of companies which are going to close,” he stated.

The legacy of 29 October continues to be seen on the commercial estates. Abandoned vehicles sit on the facet of the highway lined in mud, particles has been pushed up in opposition to partitions and the shutters of many companies stay closed.

Electro Fernández, an electrical energy set up firm, is likely one of the few which has reopened, having misplaced €40,000 ($42,000; £33,000) price of instruments within the floods.

“We were immediately affected 100% because we lost our tools and vehicles,” stated Patricia Muñoz, who co-owns the corporate together with her husband. She says that they’re presently working at 10% of their capability.

“We’ve cleaned the place, we’ve got all our employees here, and we’ve taken action to get going again,” she says. “But a lot of the companies on this industrial estate, and on others are nowhere near that, they are still cleaning up.

“This has been an absolute catastrophe. You solely realise the dimensions of it if you see it for your self.”

Not far away is a car storage area, where hundreds of the 120,000 or so vehicles damaged or destroyed by the flooding have been removed from roads and piled one on top of the other. As part of a €17bn relief plan announced by the government in the first month after the tragedy, it promised to provide up to 10,000 euros to car owners to replace their vehicles.

Businesses and self-employed workers are also due to benefit, with compensation for damage caused to homes and corporate premises. A furlough scheme is also in place.

The Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, told congress in late November that his government was “making a titanic effort” to ensure that the promised funds reach those in need as soon as possible. However, not everyone is convinced.

“I feel that official monetary help is badly managed,” says Toni Milla, president of a local business association in the town of Alfafar, which was heavily affected. He says that a lot of the relief for businesses promised during the Covid pandemic did not reach its destination.

“I feel this time the identical factor goes to occur,” he says.

Valencians’ faith in their authorities has already been severely shaken by the immediate response to the disaster. Protesters have been demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón, who, it emerged, was absent from his office for several hours on the day the floods struck because he was having lunch with a journalist. Many believe his administration’s delay in issuing an alert to the phones of people in the region cost lives.

Mazón has rejected such claims. “We did one of the best we might with the data obtainable,” he says.

Others criticise the central government for failing to deploy the military and other resources more forcefully. Sánchez, however, has insisted that his administration “fulfilled its duties and did so from the very starting” of the crisis.

Meanwhile, help has been provided by the private sector. Alcem-se, a charity platform set up by local supermarket entrepreneur Juan Roig, says it has distributed €35m euros in non-refundable aid to 4,600 businesses.

However, for many, including Mr Milla, the relief may not be enough. He owned a local TV channel, an estate agency and a bar and he has only managed to reopen the latter – partially – in the wake of the October floods.

He lists several nearby businesses – including a petrol station, a gym, a beautician and an optician – which he says will not reopen.

But it is not just urban areas which were hit on 29 October. The Valencia region is part of an agricultural heartland in south-eastern Spain, which exports large quantities of fruit and vegetables to the rest of Europe.

Twenty-five miles (40km) south of Valencia city, José España visits his orange trees. Beneath them, oranges which were washed off their branches by the floodwater lie rotting on the ground.

“Farmers at all times say ‘subsequent yr issues will get higher’, however proper now, the temper amongst farmers may be very pessimistic,” he said. The agricultural association he is a member of, AVA-ASAJA, estimates that well over €1bn euros worth of damage was caused on 29 October to crops alone.

“Farmers have had a number of years now by which we have been deserted, and the floods may find yourself inflicting a number of extra farmers than typical to depart the business,” he says. “In order to get issues again to how they have been earlier than the flooding, it may take two or three years.”