29/10/2019
The emergency drill was held for the first time in Padre Fialho, district of Matipo, and was attended by about 370 residents last Sunday (27). Organized by the Matipo Municipal Civil Defense, the purpose of the mock drill was to mobilize the local community that has been prepared to act in emergency situations. The exercise took place near the Samarco pumping station II.
The mock drill followed the guidelines and procedures of Samarco’s Mining Dams Emergency Action Plan (PAEBM). The company helped the Municipal Civil Defense with the organization, providing infrastructure, vehicles, and through the involvement of employees and facilitators. Samarco’s pipeline passes through the Municipality of Matipo, in the District of Padre Fialho.
Students from the Univertix College participated in the drill with activities focused on health care, animal health and psychological and physical assistance. About 280 people were assisted, measuring their blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and providing care to their animals.
Samarco’s mock drill coordinator, Melissa Manger, points out that the exercises help to develop a culture of prevention and prepare the community for emergency situations.
“We used a very participatory mock drill construction methodology, which resulted in strong community presence, involvement of school principals, religious representatives, as well as important figures from the municipality, such as the Civil Defense, the Municipal Office and the municipal secretaries. The Manhuacu Fire Department and the Military Police were also invited and contributed by conducting response time tests and blockades that would be required in a real situation. This commitment is very relevant for both prior actions as for the day of the actual mock drill”, she stresses.
Permanent monitoring
Samarco’s dams remain stable, as indicated by the monitoring and assessments of specialized consultancies. Reports on the conditions of these structures are periodically sent to the competent bodies.
Currently, the monitoring system features about 840 pieces of state-of-the-art equipment, such as: robotic and weather station, millimeter precision radars, laser scanner, cameras, drones, piezometers, accelerometers, river stations, water quality stations, flow meters, as well as a specialist technical team of about 50 people.
