Today marks one month since the catastrophic DANA which caused more than 230 deathsthe vast majority in Valenciaand destroyed thousands of lives, devastating towns and cities. In this community, torrential rains affected 68 municipalities which add up to a population greater than 845,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, more than 48,000 companies have been affected, according to the Valencia Chamber of Commerce.
In this disaster, the response of thousands of citizens who have gone to the affected areas to help the victims in a completely altruistic and selfless manner has stood out. Among them is Juanjo Moyanorepair shop owner Computer Microshopin the Valencian town of Manisessince 11 years.
‘It’s 6, 7 in the afternoon when it all started. After 12 hours, early in the morning the next day, I was already with my 4×4 in the middle of absolute nowhere at ground zero of each town. I didn’t see police, I didn’t see anything, we were alone. Know? I got together with another guy who has another 4×4. We went in convoy, so to speak, helping, moving cars aside, opening streets for emergency services because they couldn’t get through, and helping the few police officers I saw.‘, says Moyano in conversation with La Razón.
After 11 days working piece-rate helping in the disaster area, the Valencian technician returned to his business, who had been unable to attend all that time. And then another work began to help the victims, also in a selfless way. ‘Since my service is microelectronics, repair of electronic devices, well I said, “Well, I can also continue helping from my business, which I dedicate myself to, and continue providing service in some way“‘, explains the Valencian coach.
Moyano is not unknown on social networks. Accumulate more than 900,000 followers thanks to your videos about your business activity. Most of those published this November, however, are related to the effects of DANA and the work it is doing cleaning and repairing devices—computers, laptops, video game consoles…—that have been flooded and muddied by the floods.
Since it began offering, through its networks, to clean and try to recover devices affected by DANA, more than a hundred have reached it. ‘I have been able to repair 70% of what has come in so far.. There is a part that has not been possible, but I am very stubborn and I try,’ says Moyano.
This high success rate is surprising when you see videos published by Moyano with computers, laptops and video game consoles. in an absolutely sorry state after having spent hours underwater and covered in mud. As the technician remembers: ‘Water and electronics don’t mix well.’ So, How do you manage to repair so many?
Moyano explains why it is possible. ‘Electronic devices, in general, it does not matter whether it is a computer or a console, As long as you have not tried to turn it on after getting wet, it is more salvageable than if you have tried it in that state. So what happens? That many times, when the flood reached many houses and many establishments, the power would go out, the leads would go out. So when the water came there was no electricity.. That is one of the reasons why they can be saved. But then the other part comes in: as the days go by, there are oxides, sulfates on the motherboard, short circuits… So, of course, the advantage is that: which were not on at the time because there was no power‘.
Moyano You are not charging for labor or budgeting To carry out these repairs, only the components that need to be replaced when necessary. It is, for all intents and purposes, an altruistic task that occupies a large number of hours to the detriment of his professional activity: ‘A team in this state, less than 4 hours is impossible. Between 4 and 12 hours of work, at least, even with a console it took me 2 days’. The business continues with the help of his team.
The investment is also in materials to be able to carry out the repairs. Moyano uses ‘ionized distilled water, which is not electrically conductive, and isopropyl alcohol’ to clean a sludge that has reached every corner of the device and leave it spotless. In some cases, it uses an infrared oven to resolder components. Then the tests come to check the operation: ‘See what is wrong, if there is a short circuit here, if there is a module that is rotten and needs to be changed. A lot of time is spent, yes‘.
And why does it do it for free? ‘Because, man, each and every one of the towns that have been affected, in some way, I have always had clients there and my business for so many years has been maintained by all the people in each town.. I also have friends who have lost their cars. Let’s see, I’m Valencian. It has touched us all. I am not a selfish person who, because not a drop has fallen on me… Three minutes away from me is all the chaos and the truth is that this has affected me a lot, It has touched quite a chord with me‘.
Moyano, who spent the first 11 days after the torrential rains helping with his 4×4 at ground zero of the disaster, agrees that the images seen on the news they do not allow us to get an idea of the magnitude of the destruction.
‘I have been very lucky because my business is in Manises, my house is in Manises, my family and everything, and nothing has happened to us. But I’ve been there and I’ve seen those people and I don’t know. I have not been able to help crying, on many days, because only the desperate face of the people and how they thanked you, simply for bringing them water or food.. Or when you see, for example, a couple my age, about 30 or something, with a baby in her arms crying, shaking. I had just gone to the pharmacy down here from my house to buy baby food because I wanted to bring help on my own. When I got out of the car to ask them, “Hey, do you need anything?”, they started crying, shaking. That’s a trauma, you know? All of this has created a bit of psychological trauma for me. because you don’t understand how, three minutes from you, such an atrocious disaster occurs‘.
Moyano explains that anyone who needs help with devices affected by DANA can contact him by direct message through Instagramin the account that appears in this article. ‘Anyone who needs our services, which are cleanings and the estimate, is completely free for those affected and You can bring it directly to my physical store which is in Manises‘, adds Moyano.