The devastation caused by DANA in the south of the Valencia metropolitan area has left virtually all economic activity in this region suspended. Six days after the gigantic wave of water which devastated dozens of Valencian municipalities, 90% of businesses in the affected area remain paralyzed, according to estimates from the Ministry of the Economy itself.
To get an idea of the economic scale of the shutdown, it is estimated that More than 54,000 companies work in these 70 municipalities concerned.or more than a third of all those operating in the province of Valencia, according to information from the Valencia Chamber of Commerce. In half of these villages the damage was classified as very serious or serious, including ground zero of the disaster, with villages like Paiporta, Picanya or Sedaví, where chaos and destruction in the streets continue to prevent the opening of businesses and companies. This war zone alone covers nearly 35,000 stores, offices, hotels and businesses employing more than 215,000 workers.
This southern corridor of Valencia is home to some of the largest shopping areas in the entire metropolitan area, with multinational stores such as Ikea, Carrefour, Media Markt or Leroy Merlin. In addition, the L’Horta Sud region has historically concentrated the Valencian furniture industry and numerous suppliers, converted to industries such as automobiles or metallurgy. As employers in the sector explain, the destruction in many of them has been total.
Another of the most affected areas is the eastern area of Valencia, the A-3 corridor. Although this road has been reopened, activity is impossible in its surroundings due to the search for victims still in progress, as in the Bonaire shopping center in Aldaya. The largest industrial zone of Ribarroja, the main logistics hub of Valencia, has started to welcome workers but In most companies, they focused on debris removal work.. Mercadona has restored dry goods service in its logistics block and is working to reopen the rest of the complex in this municipality. The Juan Roig chain is also working on the reopening of unused stores and supplies its centers from Sagunto and Alicante. Consum is experiencing a similar situation, with 11 points of sale, owned or franchised, which were unable to open this Monday and its distribution platforms in Quart, Silla and Ribarroja are still affected. One of the largest agribusiness industries in the region, Familia Martínez, supplier to Mercadona, has managed to maintain production in the factories of Torrent, Cheste and Buñol to guarantee a basic supply, while implementing measures to support its workers affected by DANA.
In municipalities where the effects of the water were not so harmful, activity was also not able to resume normally. In some cases because many companies with machines and equipment have made them available to the authorities. Added to this is the lack of workers who are either directly affected or, in most cases, have mobility problems. It is estimated that More than 80,000 damaged vehicles were left on the roads and streets.. From the public administration, unions and Valencian employers CEV, a message was sent on Sunday to opt for teleworking in positions where it is possible to avoid traffic jams.
The greatest Valencian, The Ford factory in Almussafes has been shut down since Tuesday to avoid the displacement of its more than 4,000 workers. This will continue at least until November 11, since ERTE days were planned.
