The storm leaves €117.5 million in losses for Catalan SMEs

Pimec estimates the impact of the storm on SMEs in Vallès Oriental, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Vallès Occidental, and Maresme at €117.5 million. Nearly 2,400 companies reported direct damage, and one in five is still not operating normally.

The employers' association Pimec has raised the cost of the storm for small and medium-sized enterprises in five Catalan regions to €117.5 million, as reported by moncloa.com. The estimate ranges between €65 and €208 million, reflecting the difficulty in accurately measuring an episode that is still affecting the accounts.

The impact is concentrated in Vallès Oriental, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Vallès Occidental, and Maresme. In total, 2,400 companies have reported direct damage, and 18.9% of those affected, nearly one in five, have not returned to their normal work pace.

Most of the costs do not stem from material damage, but from the time that was lost. The forced halt of activity accounts for 71% of the impact: €46.1 million in wages corresponding to 1.8 million working hours lost, plus €37.3 million in economic activity that will not be recovered.

Damage to facilities, machinery, and goods amounts to €28.9 million. Divided among the affected companies, this results in just over €12,000 per company. This figure is supplemented by €5.1 million in additional costs: urgent cleaning, waste removal, and emergency logistics.

The extent of the impact varied by territory. 76.3% of SMEs in the five regions felt the consequences. Vallès Oriental tops the list with 84.3%, followed by Baix Llobregat (81.8%) and Barcelonès (77.8%). Maresme (55.6%) and Vallès Occidental (52.6%) fared better.

Among the companies with incidents, 78.4% halted or reduced their activity, and 45.3% kept their shutters down for at least a full day. Logistic problems affected 54.7%, and 41.9% suffered from the absence of workers who could not reach their jobs.

Pimec warns that most of these costs are not covered by insurance policies. For physical damages, the natural route is the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, which responds when the insurer does not. However, other costs, such as wages paid without production, lost customers, and hours that cannot be recovered, fall outside of this coverage. This is the part that most strains an SME's finances.

The Govern has promised to cover any necessary costs. The first test will come at the next Consell Executiu: if a specific budget item appears, the promise will have backing; if not, the storm will continue to impact the accounts in the fourth quarter.

The report also excludes the lost profits from fairs and markets that were cancelled and the effect on suppliers located outside the five regions. Sectors such as retail, hospitality, and street vending are among the hardest hit, precisely those that are not included in the calculation of the €117.5 million. The range of €65 to €208 million is not a methodological detail: it is an acknowledgment that no one yet knows how much this episode has cost.

Meanwhile, Meteocat closes the episode of rain and opens a different one. On Friday, October 9, temperatures will plummet, and the first frosts of the season will appear in the Pirineo and in parts of the Prepirineo, with winter conditions in the interior. For those still drying out basements and warehouses, the cold adds an uncomfortable variable: repairing and resuming operations with temperatures below zero. Warnings are updated on the website of the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya.