Business owners affected by Valencia floods angry and eager to start over one month on

One month on from the devastating floods in Valencia which took the lives of over 200 people, business owners in the areas worst hit have expressed their anger and their desire to return to normality as soon as possible. 

The Peamflo restaurant, located in the town square of Picanya, is full of customers after it reopened this week.

The establishment was filled with mud and was completely damaged. Its owner, Florentino, has renovated all the furniture.

Although they have applied for all the aid possible, they have not yet received any and have had to pay for the renovation out of their own pocket.

The restaurant was filled with mud the day after the flood, with the kitchen and appliances completely damaged.

Florentino says the coffee machine was the only appliance that could be saved, after a meter and a half of water entered the establishment.

Now, a month later, the influx of customers is constant. “We opened this week, the response has been spectacular. We have a lot of work, Picanya is bad but not as bad as Paiporta,” Florentino says.

“Everything is new, we have had to pay for everything ourselves because we have not received any help at the moment,” the restauranteur laments.

He says that everyone wants to work and return to normal. “People really want to go out, to talk, I really wanted to put on clean pants and take off my boots, it has been a long time,” he adds.

However, the anger persists. “People are very angry. You get angry with your children, your partner, it's going to take a long time to return to calm.”

“I live in Paiporta, and it is like Gaza”

José Luís has also been able to open his hairdressers again and since last week he has not stopped washing and styling clients’ hair.

“Everything is damaged, my house, car, business, motorbikes, everything,” he explains.

However, thanks to the help of three brigades and volunteers, he has recovered his business premises. “I feel abandoned, I live in Paiporta and it’s like Gaza. It’s been a month and it’s practically the same,” he says.

“I'm not outraged, but I am angry, I have to find the strength from somewhere. I can’t waste time being outraged,” the hairdresser says.

José Luís adds that “Picanya is Beverly Hills” compared to the situation in Paiporta.

“We haven’t received any help”

Alejandro, the manager of an optician’s shop that opened 40 years ago, has not yet finished cleaning the premises. He hopes to reopen in a couple of weeks.

“It will be difficult to return because we have lost everything, glasses, furniture, machinery, and it’s all made more difficult by not having aid on time,” he laments.

He says he has asked for all possible aid, but so far, he has not received any. “It will cost us a lot of time and money, this machinery is not cheap,” he says.

The situation of Nani, who had an exclusive clothing store in the center of the town practically next to the Poio ravine, is worse.

The damage has affected her a lot, as she is from Paiporta and lost family members in the catastrophe.

Her establishment is practically the same since the damage occurred, and is very angry because she feels “abandoned."

She has not received any aid either and is waiting for the experts to come to assess the damage.