The Brumadinho Dam Rupture Disaster, Brazil 2019: Analysis of the Narratives about a Disaster from the Perspective of Disaster Law

Abstract

Tailings dam failures with catastrophic consequences are, unfortunately, nothing new in our country. And yet, Disaster Law, a branch of legal practice that highlights the role of the juridical system in reducing the underlying vulnerabilities of these events, is still not widely known. Law plays a central role in the management of catastrophic events. A disaster is the result of social and physical vulnerabilities. In disasters caused by economic activities (anthropogenic or technological disasters), there is an added emphasis on technological vulnerability as a key to identify asymmetries and failures in the flow of information fundamental for the occurrence of the disaster. Based on these premises and on a narrative reconstruction methodology, this article aims to clarify the role of law in events such as this, in order to learn from destructive cycles and prevent new ones.