A year after severe flooding affected Ibiza, some businesses say they have still not recovered all of the extraordinary costs they incurred during the emergency, despite insurance payments and public aid.

The concerns have been raised by José Javier Marí Noguera, president of the Commerce Association of PIMEEF, as Ibiza marks one year since the torrential rains of September and October 2025.

Marí says insurance claims have generally been resolved satisfactorily, but argues that some expenses incurred by businesses during the emergency were not fully covered by the available aid schemes.

Extra costs left outside some aid claims

According to Marí, businesses affected by the flooding faced additional expenses while trying to protect their premises, save merchandise and restore their activity.

Among the costs he says were not fully covered were overtime worked by employees, additional time invested by business owners themselves and urgent work undertaken to protect premises and goods.

“Many businesses have not really been able to receive these aids in full,” Marí said, according to the association's account.

He also said some businesses were still waiting for parts of the aid they had been awarded, while distinguishing this from insurance claims, which he said had been satisfactorily resolved in most cases.

These are PIMEEF's assessment and claims about the recovery process and should not be interpreted as evidence that every affected business has experienced the same situation.

More than eight in ten surveyed businesses stopped operating

The scale of the initial disruption was reflected in a PIMEEF survey carried out among 106 businesses after the floods.

More than eight in ten businesses surveyed said they had been forced to suspend their activity either completely or partially.

The survey found that:

• 74% reported damage to their premises

• 63.4% reported damage to merchandise

• 57.4% reported damage to machinery or equipment

• 58% estimated losses of between €5,000 and €50,000

At the time, three quarters of the businesses surveyed identified direct financial assistance as the most urgent measure needed for recovery.

The figures come from PIMEEF's survey and therefore describe the businesses that participated, rather than every business affected across Ibiza.

Public aid is still being processed

The recovery process has continued well beyond the initial emergency.

The Balearic Government established a €5 million fund through an agreement with the Consell d'Eivissa to address damage caused by former Hurricane Gabrielle and Storm Alice. The fund covers a range of affected properties and activities, including homes, businesses, tourist establishments, agricultural and livestock operations, vehicles and essential goods.

The two weather events affected Ibiza between September 29 and October 15, 2025. Gabrielle affected the island between September 29 and October 3, while DANA Alice affected the island between October 8 and 15.

The aid programme therefore extends beyond the September 30 flooding that marked the most visible start of the emergency and covers damage associated with both episodes.

The Consell approved a further €191,570.16 in September 2026 for 47 affected people, businesses and activities. Of that amount, €157,570.16 went to 30 SMEs and other economic activities, while €25,000 was allocated to 10 homes and €9,000 to seven vehicle owners.

Deadline extended for completing the aid process

The administrative process is not yet completely finished.

The deadline for the Consell d'Eivissa to complete the processing and justification of the grants linked to Gabrielle and Alice was extended to November 30, 2026. The original deadline had been August 31.

The extension was requested because of administrative and technical difficulties in managing the applications.

This means that the existence of outstanding administrative work should not automatically be interpreted as meaning that all affected businesses are still waiting for money.

Calls for better protection against future flooding

For PIMEEF, the experience has also highlighted the need to improve prevention and emergency preparation.

Marí says some preventive work has been carried out, including cleaning drainage systems and improvements around the port of Ibiza designed to reduce the accumulation of water.

The association nevertheless considers that addressing historically flood-prone areas of Ibiza Town requires larger and more complex infrastructure projects.

The effectiveness of some of the measures already implemented will only become clearer when the island experiences another episode of intense rainfall, according to Marí.

New guidance for businesses

The experience has also prompted new guidance for businesses.

The Balearic Government presented the guide “Protege tu comercio ante tormentas e inundaciones” in August 2026 as part of the INUNCAIB programme, working with commercial organisations and emergency services.

The recommendations include keeping merchandise and important documents above potential flood levels, checking drainage systems, following official weather and emergency alerts and preparing procedures to protect employees and customers.

For businesses that experienced the 2025 floods, these measures are intended to reduce the potential damage if another severe rainfall event affects the island.

A recovery that is still ongoing

One year after the floods, the picture is therefore mixed.

Insurance claims have reportedly been resolved in most cases, public authorities have continued approving aid and additional preventive measures have been introduced. At the same time, PIMEEF says some businesses have not recovered every extraordinary cost they incurred during the emergency, particularly expenses such as overtime and urgent protective work.

With the public aid process still being completed and further infrastructure measures planned or underway, the economic impact of the 2025 floods has not entirely disappeared from Ibiza's business community.