Pimec calculates that the damages caused by the heavy rains to companies can reach 208 million euros

BarcelonaThe association of small and medium-sized Catalan enterprises Pimec estimates that the heavy rains of the last few days have generated an economic impact of between 65 and 208 million euros on companies in Vallès Oriental, Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, and Maresme, according to calculations by the Observatory of the SME of Catalonia. Despite the range, Pimec tends to value the material losses at 117.5 million euros.

The association has conducted a survey of companies in the affected territories to quantify the impact of the storm. According to the results, 76.3% of the companies that responded declare having been affected by the heavy rains, 43.3% directly and 33% indirectly. The impact was higher in Vallès Oriental (84.3%), Baix Llobregat (81.8%), and Barcelonès (77.8%), and lower in Maresme (55.6%) and Vallès Occidental (52.6%).

Pimec notes that 78.4% of the affected companies have had to stop or reduce activity and that 45.3% have had it stopped or reduced for a day or more. In addition, 54.7% have had access or mobility problems, 41.9% have had employees who could not reach the workplace, and 27.0% have suffered damage to facilities, machinery, or stock. Almost one in five affected companies (18.9%) have not yet returned to normal.

1.8 million working hours lost

In economic terms, of the 117.5 million euros, the entity estimates that 46.1 million correspond to salaries for about 1.8 million hours that could not be worked; 37.3 million to activity that cannot be recovered; 28.9 million to material damages, affecting some 2,400 companies, and 5.1 million to other extraordinary costs, such as cleaning tasks, waste removal, and logistical surcharges. The costs linked to the stoppage of activity represent 71% of the impact, a loss that, in general, insurance does not cover. The calculations do not include the effect of weekend mobility restrictions or the suspension of markets and fairs in the rest of the municipalities, which especially affected commerce, catering, and street vending.

The Vallès Oriental, where the confinement of the population of the entire region was activated on Monday, concentrates 54.8 million euros, 47% of the total. Granollers, with 18.2 million, is the municipality with the highest estimated impact. In the rest of the territories, the impact has been concentrated in specific municipalities. In the Barcelonès, Pimec estimates an impact of 23.1 million euros, in the Baix Llobregat of 21.5 million, in the Vallès Occidental of 15.1 million, and in the Maresme of 3.0 million.

Direct aid

Given the magnitude of the impact, Pimec calls for strengthening direct aid to SMEs and affected self-employed workers, as it considers the 5 million euros planned by the Government for the whole of Catalonia insufficient, compared to the 28.9 million in material damages estimated for these five regions alone. The business organization insists that the aid be proportional to the damages and agile in its processing; that the liquidity of the companies be guaranteed; that the restoration of access, infrastructure, and supplies be prioritized, and that appraisals and the payment of indemnities be accelerated.

Likewise, it requests the establishment of a compensation mechanism for SMEs for the cost of paid hours not worked, which the entity estimates at 46.1 million euros across all the territories analyzed, and also to clarify the criteria for applying the climate leave.