The Valencian government is preparing a shock plan for the 500 elevators in the Dana area which have not been working for 14 months

According to the calculations of Association of Elevator Companies of the Valencian Community (Ascencoval)there are still some 500 out of service.

Of these, around 100 are in buildings where people with reduced mobility or some type of disability live, so there are still many people who have had serious difficulty leaving their homes for more than a year.

The program developed by the Third Vice-Presidency and the Department of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery to put an end once and for all to one of the Dana’s most protracted problems is still in the planning phase.

The objective is to launch a mechanism to speed up workwhich includes more resources for owners and more training to compensate for current staffing shortages.

One of the possibilities considered by the department led by Martínez Mus is that the Administration could advance the money to neighborhood communities, since there are currently subsidies, but only for buildings housing people with reduced mobility or dependents.

In this sense, they are also thinking about formulas for continue training. In fact, the Generalitat has already collaborated with the employers’ association to develop two elevator technician courses.

Complex repairs

The president of Ascencoval, Emilio Carbonellcelebrates the Generalitat Valenciana’s shock plan because “any help is welcome”, even if he tells EL ESPAÑOL that “there is no magic wand”.

The forecast envisaged by the employers was to be able to complete the work before 2026. However, the complexity of the interventions and the lack of qualified professionals extended the deadlines by at least six additional months.

“In a normal year, around 1,000 elevators are installed and, as a result, 7,500 have had to be repaired or modified,” adds Carbonell. In this sense, he emphasizes that they are carried out to order, on a case-by-case basis, which considerably delays the work.

Also remember that in the beginning, the pace of repairs was faster because they were “simpler” tasks. Now, as he points out, the most expensive repairs remain, such as complete cabin replacement, electronic modifications or requesting custom parts.

Likewise, the assembly of the installations is also complicated, since it involves the handling of large parts and only a maximum of 2 professionals can work in each elevator shaft.

The average factory delivery time is six monthsto which must be added the decision-making process of the community of neighbors who, in some cases, according to Carbonell, take the opportunity to adapt their elevators to the new reality and the risk of flooding.

The objective is to improve these systems through specific technical solutions that guarantee their operation in emergency contexts.

In this way, many communities of owners move the tractor group to the upper part of the shaft or consider equipping the elevators with auxiliary batteries allowing their use in the event of a disaster.

In addition, the Recovery Plan of the Generalitat Valenciana recommends the installation of an automatic lifting system by elevator in the event of flooding. This tool would allow them to automatically go up to the upper floors, thus preventing them from being flooded on the ground floor or in the basement.

This solution relies on the installation of water detection sensors in the pits, which could also activate an audible alarm to prevent their use in risky conditions.

Lack of labor

On the other hand, as Carbonell assures, the situation has been aggravated by the lack of qualified technicians.

Dana has increased the volume of work sevenfold and, despite the fact that elevator installation and maintenance companies have increased their resources and called on companies from other communities, the shortage of personnel persists.

“We understand that people are suffering and we are the first interested in providing a solution,” concludes Carbonell, who highlights the great “effort” made by the sector.

The economic issue was also an obstacle when it came time to repair the elevators. While it is true that the majority of neighborhood communities have already collected from the Insurance Compensation Consortium, in some cases the compensation has not covered the full cost of the repair projects.

As explained by the president of College of Estate Administrators of Valencia and Castellón, Sebastián Cucala Crespothe consortium valued devices dating from 20 or 30 years ago, the cost of which has nothing to do with new elevators.

This is why some residents have been forced to approve payments to meet this extraordinary payment, which in the most serious cases can amount to up to 60,000 euros.

“The neighbors are fed up and overwhelmed, it’s been more than a year,” adds Cucala.

AIDS

Taking into account this circumstance, the Consell approved a decree for direct aid for the repair or replacement of elevators damaged by damage for buildings where dependent people or people with reduced mobility reside.

The total amount of this new line of subsidies is 10 million euros for two annuities (2025 and 2026). The amount of aid is between 1,000 and 50,000 euros.

They will be used to cover the manufacturing, supply and installation of parts, as well as the replacement of cabins.

The Generalitat Valenciana, in collaboration with eI Spanish Committee of Representatives of Disabled People of the Valencian Community (Cermi)has established a list of buildings with out-of-service elevators where vulnerable people or people with reduced mobility reside. It was determined that 327 properties were considered priorities.