[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75934-75935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30867]


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FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity 
to comment on proposed revised information collections. In accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
this notice seeks comments concerning FEMA's use of surveys to collect 
disaster related information. FEMA will use various modes of data 
collection including: mailed questionnaires, phone surveys, and 
computerized surveys. The survey respondents will include individual 
disaster applicants, state and local government officials, voluntary 
agency officials, and officials from other Federal agencies involved in 
delivering disaster assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These surveys are conducted in response to 
Executive Order 12862 which requires that ``all executive departments 
and agencies that provide significant services directly to the public'' 
meet established customer service standards and to ``survey customers 
to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level 
of satisfaction with existing services.''

Collection of Information

    Title: FEMA Disaster Assistance and Operations Customer 
Satisfaction Surveys.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
collection.
    OMB Number: 3067-0256.
    Abstract. The surveys provide FEMA with information about customer 
satisfaction and program effectiveness. The surveys help interpret the 
effects of disaster-related policy changes or innovations. The survey 
is also used to measure trends and patterns in customer satisfaction 
and program effectiveness over time. FEMA will use various modes of 
data collection including: mailed questionnaires, phone surveys, and 
computerized surveys. Phone surveys of individual applicants may be 
conducted daily and written surveys will be conducted after every 
presidentially declared disaster for individual assistance (the average 
number of declared disasters per year is 50). The survey respondents 
will include individual disaster applicants, state and local government 
officials, voluntary agency officials, and officials from other Federal 
agencies involved in delivering disaster assistance. FEMA will randomly 
sample individual disaster applicants and will survey the entire 
universe of state and local government officials, voluntary agency 
officials. Officials from other Federal agencies involved in delivering 
disaster assistance also will be surveyed.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit institutions, not-for-profit institutions, Federal Government, 
state, local, or tribal government. It is important to note that FEMA 
does not solicit survey responses from businesses or other for-profit 
institutions, but it is possible that an individual applicant sampled 
will respond as a business owner.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours. 23,480. See calculations in 
table below.

[[Page 75935]]



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                                                                                             Desired
                                                                                         respondents per     Number of     Burden hours    Total annual
                Respondent group                                 Survey                  administrations  administration        per        burden hours
                                                                                               (A)         per year (B)   respondent (C)      (AXBXC)
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Individual assistance applicants...............  Disaster Assistance Customer                        400              50             .25           5,000
                                                  Satisfaction Survey.
                                                 Inspection Services Survey............              400              50             .25           5,000
                                                 Teleregistration Survey (Proposed)....              400              50             .25           5,000
                                                 Helpline Survey (Proposed)............              400              50             .25           5,000
                                                 Preferences & Best Practices in the                 400              10             .25           1,000
                                                  Delivery of Customer Service/Disaster
                                                  Recovery Center Survey (Proposed).
                                                 Community Relations Survey (Proposed).              400               4             .25             400
Officials......................................  Public Assistance Survey--30 per                     60              60             .25             900
                                                  disaster, 2 responses per year.
                                                 Other Federal Agency Officials Survey                30              60             .25             450
                                                  (Proposed)--15 per disaster, 2
                                                  responses per year.
                                                 Voluntary Agencies Survey (Proposed)--               40              60             .25             600
                                                  10 per disaster, 4 responses per year.
                                                 Community Relations Survey (Proposed).               30               4             .25              30
                                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total....................................                                          ...............  ..............          23,380
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    Estimated Annual Cost To Respondents. We have estimated that it 
will cost each respondent $4.00 to complete each survey. The estimate 
is based on the respondent making $16.00 per hour (median household 
income of $34,076/2,080 hours per year). The estimated total annualized 
cost is $93,520.00 (23,380 respondents x $16.00 per hour x .25 hour).

Comments

    Written comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed 
data collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. 
Comments should be received on or before February 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit written comments to Muriel 
B. Anderson, Chief, Records Management Branch, Program Services 
Division, Operations Support Directorate, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, 500 C Street, SW., Room 316, Washington, DC 20472. Telephone 
number (202) 646-2625. FAX number (202) 646-3347. E-mail address: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kedra Mitchell, Program Specialist, 
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Response and Recovery Directorate, 
Readiness Coordination Division, Strategic Planning & Evaluation Team, 
(202) 646-3381 for additional information. Contact Ms. Anderson at 
(202) 646-2625 for copies of the proposed collection of information.

    Dated: November 28, 2000.
Reginald Trujillo,
Director, Program Services Division, Operations Support Directorate.
[FR Doc. 00-30867 Filed 12-4-00; 8:45 am]
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