Guy Hedgecoe
Pascual Andreu has no plans to reopen his chocolate business after factory damaged by floodwaters
Pascual Andreu proudly shows a black and white photograph stuck on the wall of his chocolate business. Outside, his grandfather, who founded the company in 1914.
But as he looks around and remembers the destruction caused by flash floods that hit the Valencia region in eastern Spain on October 29, tears well up in his eyes.
“The water came in and the water and mud covered everything,” he said. “And when it disappeared, it left a terrible sight. All the stock we had was destroyed, the machines were useless.”
He adds: “I have worked all my life. And for what?”
The floodwater left a 1.8m high mark on the wall and, although the water is now gone, the mud still clings to the machinery. Miraculously, his grandfather's photo was not erased.
But, now in his sixties and still waiting to see how much money he could get from the insurance, Andreu is too discouraged to start again.
The flash flood killed more than 220 people in the Valencia region, many of whom were trapped in their cars or on the ground floors of buildings when the tsunami-like waters struck. But as well as costing lives, the disaster has also devastated livelihoods. The Valencia Chamber of Commerce estimates that 48,000 businesses have been affected.
Worst hit were towns and the industrial belt surrounding the Mediterranean city of Valencia, which itself avoided the impact of flooding. In total, the province of Valencia represents 5% of Spain's GDP, according to CaixaBank Research, which estimates that the disaster could reduce national economic output by one to two percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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Floods caused significant damage throughout the Valencia region
Much of the damage was caused in industrial areas. Diego Romá, executive president of the federation of industrial zones of the Valencia region (Feteval), says that “thousands and thousands of jobs are on hold” and that a total of 58 industrial zones have been affected by the waters of flood.
“Most companies are working hard to resume production, but unfortunately 10 to 20 percent of them will close their doors,” he said.
The legacy of October 29 is still visible in industrial areas. Abandoned cars lie on the side of the road covered in mud, debris has been pushed against walls and the shutters of many businesses remain closed.
Electro Fernández, an electrical installation company, is one of the few to have reopened, after losing €40,000 ($42,000; £33,000) worth of tools in the floods.
“We were immediately affected 100% because we lost our tools and our vehicles,” said Patricia Muñoz, co-owner of the business with her husband. She says they are currently working at 10% capacity.
“We've cleaned up the place, we have all our employees here and we've taken steps to start again,” she said. “But many businesses in this industrial zone, and others, are far from there, they are still cleaning up.
“It was an absolute disaster. You only realize the scale of the disaster when you see it for yourself.”
Not far away is a car storage area, where hundreds of the approximately 120,000 vehicles damaged or destroyed by the floods have been taken off the roads and piled on top of each other. As part of a 17 billion euro 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 should also benefit, with compensation for damage caused to homes and business premises. A furlough scheme is also in place.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told Congress in late November that his government was “making a titanic effort” to ensure that promised funds reach those who need them as quickly as possible. However, not everyone is convinced.
“I think the official financial aid is poorly managed,” says Toni Milla, president of a local business association in the hard-hit town of Alfafar. He says much of the business relief measures promised during the Covid pandemic have failed to reach their destination.
“I think this time the same thing will happen,” he said.
Guy Hedgecoe
Flood-damaged vehicles recovered and piled up
The confidence of Valencians in their authorities has already been seriously shaken by the immediate response to the disaster. Protesters are demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón, who reportedly was absent from his office for several hours on the day of the floods because he was having lunch with a journalist. Many believe his administration's delay in issuing an alert to area residents' phones cost lives.
Mazón rejected these claims. “We did the best we could with the information available,” he said.
Others criticize the central government for not deploying the army and other resources more forcefully. Sánchez insisted, however, that his administration “fulfilled its duties and did so from the beginning” of the crisis.
In the meantime, help has been provided by the private sector. Alcem-se, a charity platform created by local supermarket entrepreneur Juan Roig, claims to have distributed €35 million in non-repayable aid to 4,600 businesses.
However, for many, including Mr. Milla, the relief might not be enough. He owned a local TV station, a real estate agency and a bar and only managed to reopen the latter – partially – following the October floods.
He lists several nearby businesses – including a gas station, gym, beautician and optician – which he says will not reopen.
But urban areas are not the only ones to be affected on October 29. The Valencia region is part of an agricultural heartland in southeastern Spain, which exports large quantities of fruit and vegetables to the rest of Europe.
40 km south of the city of Valencia, José España visits his orange trees. Below, oranges that were washed away by floodwaters lie on the ground.
“Farmers always say things will be better next year, but for now the mood among farmers is very pessimistic,” he said. The agricultural association of which he is a member, AVA-ASAJA, estimates that the damage caused on October 29 to crops alone well exceeds a billion euros.
“Farmers have had a few years now where we've been abandoned, and the flooding may end up pushing a few more farmers than usual out of the industry,” he says. “It will take two or three years for things to return to the way they were before the floods.”
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