Brumadinho: Vale remains focused on repair and supporting those affected
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Brumadinho: Vale remains focused on repair and supporting those affected
Three months after the breach of Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão Mine in Brumadinho (MG), Vale continues to focus on repair and providing assistance to all those affected. Actions include care for people, psychological assistance, medical care, infrastructure repair, financial assistance, indemnities and contributions to institutions that are assisting the company in humanitarian support.
Donations: To date, 274 families of the victims have received the R$100,000 donation; 98 residents in the Self-rescue Zone have received R$50,000; and 85 people who had their businesses or rural production impacted by the breach have received R$15,000.
Emergency payments: Regarding emergency issue solutions, Vale has entered into a preliminary agreement that allows emergency payments to be made to all people residing in Brumadinho or who lived up to 1km from the Paraopeba River channel between Brumadinho and the Retiro Baixo plant in the city of Pompéu, on the 25/1/2019. To date, more than 14,000 residents have received payments in the municipalities of Brumadinho, Mário Campos, São Joaquim de Bicas, Betim and Juatuba, more than 41,000 have already scheduled a meeting and 29,000 have registered for Indemnification at points made available by the company. The agreement was signed with the Attorney General of the State of Minas Gerais, the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Minas Gerais, the Public Defender's Office of the State of Minas Gerais, the Federal Attorney General's Office, the Federal Public Ministry and the Public Defender's Office.
In order to receive the emergency payment, residents must arrange a meeting at the Indemnity Registration Office (PRI) and present relevant documentation. Meetings must be arranged by dialling 0800 888 1182. After the telephone appointment, residents must go to their meeting on the scheduled date, at the local PRI. For people with mobility issues, a document collection service is available by appointment from one of the local Help Centers. List of available centers.
More information about emergency claim payments, the items that make up the preliminary agreement, eligibility, and required documentation, is available here.
Individual or family compensation: With a view to a speedy and fair solution regarding individual damages, Vale has entered into a Term of Commitment to compensate material and moral damages with the Public Defender of Minas Gerais (DPMG), referring to the breach of Dam I, of the Córrego do Feijão mine. This Term serves as a parameter for compensation for the evacuation of the Sul Superior Dam in Barão de Cocais and B3/B4 in Macacos. The complete information can be found in here.
Vale points out that, although it has created this direct route for consensual negotiation, it will be up to those affected to choose the most appropriate way to seek their rights.
Customer Service locations:
In Brumadinho, the Defensoria maintains an office, located at Rua Oligisto 197, Bairro Ipiranga, Brumadinho. The opening hours are from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday.
Those choosing to attend a Vale office will receive support in scheduling, clarifying queries and negotiating indemnities. The Vale office is located at Rua Quintino Bocaiúva, 147. The operation is from 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. Those interested should be accompanied by lawyers.
In Macacos, those who are interested in pursuing the consensual route for compensation for material and moral damages, due to the evacuation of the B3/B4 Dam at Mar Azul Mine, can go to Vale's office, located at Rua São Luiz, 181 and opens from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. The interested parties must be accompanied by the Public Defender's Office or by lawyers.
In Barão de Cocais, those who are interested in pursuing the consensual route for compensation for material and moral damages, due to the evacuation of the Sul Superior Dam of the Gongo Soco Mine, can go to Vale's office located at Rua José de Paula, 104, 2nd floor, Bairro Vila Regina and opens Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. The interested parties must be accompanied by the Public Defender's Office or by lawyers.
Support for indigenous people: Vale signed an agreement with the Federal Public Ministry, the National Indian Foundation (Funai) and Chiefs of the indigenous Pataxó community located in the city of São Joaquim de Bicas, about 22km from Brumadinho (MG), for emergency payments to 150 indigenous people from 46 families. In addition to supporting health and providing independent socio-economic advice to assess possible impacts to the environment, the agreement also provides technical assistance to indigenous people.
Vale has also provided trained specialists with indigenous experience to negotiate with the indigenous people and has supported the community in various institutional actions and access to public policies. Vale is in permanent contact with Funai and the Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health (SESAI), which intermediates agreements for new donations based on needs mapped together with the indigenous Pataxó community. Vale reiterates its respect for indigenous communities and informs that it seeks to maintain dialogue with these communities and public bodies, ensuring a transparent and open dialogue.
Psychological assistance, care and logistical support: Vale has established Help Centers to provide various services to families, such as: screening and referral of homeless to hotels, registration of the missing or deceased to receive donations by Vale, mobile phone sim cards from the Civil Defense to the families, support and psychological support and a cafeteria with free meals. These centers also deal with the transportation demands for collections scheduled by the IML, funeral assistance, among other humanitarian assistance services. They also help source pharmaceutical items, food and water for affected families.
The company also provides telephone helplines so that the affected population can request emergency support (shelter, water, food baskets, clothing, medicine, transportation, etc.) repair, to report missing persons or request information on survivors.
Vale also offered medical care in private hospitals, specifically in all Unimed and Mater Dei health centers located in Belo Horizonte, as well as in hospitals Felício Rocho and Madre Teresa (not in Brumadinho, as there are no hospitals in the area, only health centers and clinics). In all, there are 10 hospitals and health units attending to those affected. In addition, around 400 professionals currently work at 5 service centers for those affected in Brumadinho, Macacos and Barão de Cocais. More than 7,000 medical and psychological consultations have been carried out so far.
Contributions: Where Vale's operations have been suspended, in order to support the cities and contribute to the maintenance of the essential services offered to the population of the municipalities, the company signed an agreement with the Association of Mining Municipalities of Minas Gerais and Brazil (Amig) to make financial contributions to the total amount of R$ 100 million. The measure will serve 10 municipalities: Barão de Cocais, Belo Vale, Congonhas, Itabirito, Mariana, Nova Lima, Ouro Preto, Rio Acima, São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo and Sarzedo.
Vale also signed an agreement with the State Government of Minas Gerais to support community safety through donations made to the Civil Defense and Military Police. For the Civil Defense, the acquisition and donation of drones and search and rescue equipment is planned, as well as 16 vehicles, including trucks, 4x4s and a towing platform, as well as professional training courses. In all, the investment will total R$ 5 million. For the Military Police, the agreement will provide the purchase and transfer of 38 vehicles to operate in an urban area (including districts and towns) and 10 4x4 vehicles to operate in rural areas, totaling R$ 4 million. More information here.
On February 18, Vale signed a cooperation agreement with the Local Government of Brumadinho, with a contribution of R$ 2.6 million to expand humanitarian assistance in the municipality, which will have multidisciplinary teams to work in health and psychosocial areas and to source equipment and materials needed to provide these services, as well as the allocation of 20 vehicles to transport these specialists. See more here.
In addition to contributing R$ 6.5 million that Vale has earmarked for the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment for the Belo Horizonte IML, the company has provided help and funeral assistance to the deceased's representatives. Assistance includes notary fees, transfer of bodies, urns, graves, funeral costs etc.
Vale also formalized, on March 15, a R$ 20 million contribution to the Minas Gerais Military Fire Service (CBMMG), in recognition of the work and heroism of the firefighters in Brumadinho. Of this total, R$ 15 million is destined to the purchase of equipment, infrastructure improvements and professional training, while the other R$ 5 million will be used for the construction of buildings to aid training at the Fire Academy. The 6,000 military firefighters in the state will benefit from more than 7,000 new pieces of equipment and extra training, which will include training courses abroad and technical books. More details here.
BR-356 Road: Between km 37 and 40 of BR-356, the stretch between Nova Lima, Rio Acima and Itabirito, the Stop and Follow System will be replaced by an assisted operation, which consists of the total free movement of traffic in both directions and the installation of monitoring stations. The amendment was defined in a Term of Commitment signed with the State Public Ministry and the State Civil Defense and Military Highway Police, on 16/4. The term was approved in court. The replacement will result in improvements to the flow of traffic and greater safety for users, even in the event of a breach. This section is in the area that the Vargem Grande Dam could reach, one of the structures belonging to Vale that is in the process of being decharacterised by the company.
Alberto Flores Bridge: The two-way traffic on the bridge, built on the Alberto Flores Avenue in Brumadinho, was opened on 04/10. The bridge re-establishes access to the communities of Parque da Cachoeira, Córrego do Feijão, Melo Franco, Marques, Aranha, Palhano, Córrego Ferreira and Casa Branca, among others, from the central area of Brumadinho. The structure (concrete and steel), is 50 meters long and will have a pedestrian sidewalk, which should be finished by the end of April. The work is being conducted by Vale.
Supplies: More than 79 million liters of water have been supplied for human, animal and agricultural use in the municipalities of Betim, Brumadinho, Curvelo, Esmeraldas, Florestal, Fortuna de Minas, Juatuba, Maravilhas, Mário Campos, Nova Lima, Pará de Minas, Papagaios, Paraopeba, Pompéu, São Joaquim de Bicas and São José da Varginha. More than 58,000 pharmaceutical items have been purchased, with the total cost, of which also includes items such as water, equipment and other logistics costs, already more than R$ 426 million.
Environmental repair actions: Three months after the breach of Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão Mine in Brumadinho (MG), and after the analysis of almost 300,000 samples of water, soil, tailings and sediment, the Paraopeba River can be recovered. Its environmental recovery depends on a set of actions, among them the containment of solid tailings that are close to the place where the structure was. Together with other companies and institutions, Vale is developing a plan for the Paraopeba basin, which is being discussed with environmental agencies.
Since January 25, the company has started a detailed monitoring of the river, collecting daily samples of water, soil and evaluating turbidity levels. Currently, there are 65 monitoring points at strategic places above the B1 disruption site, in the Ferro Carvão stream, in the Paraopeba and São Francisco rivers, in the reservoirs of the Retiro Baixo and Três Marias mills, as well as eight other tributary rivers in Paraopeba. Waste samples were collected at 30 points near B1 (including inside the dam) and 12 along the river. Five antiturbity membranes are also in operation, three in the region of Pará de Minas and two in the Betim/Juatuba region. Vale continues to work to rescue wildlife.
More information here.
Relocations: The lists of relocated people is reviewed daily to correct any duplication, removal of people residing outside the ZAS or the inclusion of new members recognized as impacted by the B1 break in Brumadinho or residents of the ZAS of the B3/B4 dams, Vargem Grande, Forquilhas I, II e III and Grupo and Mello PCH.
The consolidated relocated up to April 23, 2019 is:
Brumadinho: 269 people allocated temporary housing, hotels, guest houses or at friends or relatives' houses;
Barão de Cocais (Alto Sul dam of the Gongo Soco Mine): 456 people allocated temporary housing, hotels, guest houses or at friends or relatives' houses;
Macacos (dam B3 / B4 of Mina Mar Azul): 263 people in hotels and guest houses;
Nova Lima (Vargem Grande Dam of Vargem Grande Mine): 24 people in hotels;
Ouro Preto (Forquilhas I, II e III and Grupo da Fábrica Mine): 4 people in hotels;
Rio Preto (PCH Mello): 3 people in guesthouses;
Vale reiterates that it will continue to provide all necessary support to families until the situation is completely normalized.
SERVICE
Help Centers (supplies, psychosocial support, etc.)
Brumadinho, Córrego do Feijão: Rua Um, 240
Brumadinho, Cachoeira Park: Rua Francisco Jorge Dinis, 143
Brumadinho, Aurora: Aurora Tênis Clube, Rua Presidente Vargas, 1490
Barão de Cocais: Centro de Referência de Assistência Social, na Avenida Wilson Alvarenga de Oliveira, 1381
Macacos: Praça 25 de março, 1010
Addresses of the Registration Points for Indemnification (PRIs) for emergency payments
See the full list here.
Arranging meetings: 0800 888 1182
Items that make up the preliminary agreement, eligibility, and required documents are available here.
Office addresses to request individual or family group compensation:
Brumadinho:
Rua Quintino Bocaiúva, 147. From: 09:00 to18:00, Monday to Friday. The interested parties should be accompanied by lawyers.
(Vale office)
Rua Oligisto 197, Bairro Ipiranga. From: 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. (Public Defender's Office)
Barão de Cocais
Rua José de Paula, 104, 2º andar, Bairro Vila Regina. From: 09:00 to18:00, Monday to Friday. Priority is given to those evacuated from the Auto-rescue Zona (ZAS) and should be accompanied by the Public Defense or a lawyer. (Vale Office)
Macacos
Rua São Luiz, 181. From: 09:00 to18:00, Monday to Friday. The interested parties should be accompanied by the Public Defense or a lawyer. (Vale Office)
Media Relations Office - Vale
imprensa@vale.com
See also