A British expat says his family has ‘lost everything’ after their Cadiz home was severely flooded following the passing of Storm Leonardo.
Adam W told the Spanish Eye today that he has suffered up to €40,000 worth of damage to his property, including the loss of countless devices and computer screens.
The IT manager, 51, from Brighton, said he and his wife bought the finca five years ago, but were never warned of the river – which lies around 100 metres behind the home.
He said they must now ‘rebuild their lives from scratch’, which is why they have started a GoFundMe (to donate click here).
Adam claims they bought fire and home invasion insurance but that the company refused to cover them for floods ‘because it’s a risky area.’
While that should have raised alarm bells, Adam told the Spanish Eye: ‘When we bought it, floods were never mentioned, they said the river never reaches the house.
‘My neighbour is 70 and said last time he saw something like this was 40 years ago, so this is kind of unprecedented.
‘However, we did a survey and none of it was ever mentioned, just that it does get a bit wet but the stream never reaches the house – although I later found traces of lingered water on the walls that may have suggested otherwise.’
‘I’m quite a positive person, but if I got to stay in the home after all this, I’ve got to have my engineering head on and build some scaffolding or high, stabilised shelves.
‘I’m not thinking of selling it right away but maybe in the future because of the stress.’
Adam evacuated the home several days ago with his family, including his wife and severely disabled 21-year-son, daughter and her 18-month-old son.
Their finca is situated in rural Cadiz, west of Secadero and San Martin, close to the border with Malaga province.
‘The authorities gave us no housing and we have been spending our savings on an Airbnb in Manilva, which we have until Monday’, he said.
The Cadiz and Malaga regions have been some of the worst affected by the carousel of Atlantic storms that have claimed multiple lives across Andalucia, Spain and Portugal over January and February.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes this week ahead of Storm Marta, which placed the whole of Andalucia under alert on Saturday.
Adam added: ‘The damage to our home is devastating, and this time nothing could be saved.
‘The floodwater rose to its highest level yet, reaching around four feet inside the house and filling every corner.
‘The force of the water moved and scattered everything in its path – beds, cupboards, tables, desks, and kitchen appliances.
‘Internal doors were broken by the gushing water, and even our metal side gate collapsed.’
He said his disabled son’s essential devices have been lost after being ‘buried in mud and water’.
‘Our 18-month-old grandson has also lost everything – his clothes, toys, and even his bed were destroyed by the flood,’ Adam said.
‘Every electrical socket in the house is unsafe, with water and mud still coming out of them. At the moment, there isn’t a single dry or clean piece of clothing or towel left in our home.
‘All our clothes are piled in one corner, soaked and ruined, waiting to be thrown away.
‘This is truly heartbreaking. We have never experienced anything like this in our lives.’
It comes after property experts this week warned house hunters in Spain to be aware of flood zones.
Mathew Wood, who sells homes across Granada, told the Spanish Eye: ‘I think it’s clearly a freak weather incident so not the normal for Spain, but I think whenever someone is buying a property, you need to be aware of the circumstances.
‘It’s terrible what’s happened to people, many will have been unaware, firstly I’d always recommend getting an adviser like Solving Spain to have a quick look at the area for you, then can give you good knowledge.
‘Secondly, if you’re buying in low-lying areas, look for river beds, if there are big, wide, river beds, they are wide for a reason, and that’s because they channel all the water when there are freak incidents, so I think it’s about looking for the tell-tale signs.’
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
