[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13763-13764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7194]


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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, 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 information collections. In accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), this notice 
seeks comments concerning information required by FEMA to amend or 
revise National Flood Insurance Program Maps to remove certain property 
from the
1-percent annual chance floodplain.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit written comments to Muriel 
B. Anderson, Chief, Records Management Section, Program Services and 
Systems Branch, Facilities Management and Services Division, 
Administration and Resource Planning Directorate, Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW, Room 316, Washington, DC 20472.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Ms. Cecelia Lynch, FEMA, 
Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration at (202) 646-7045 for 
additional information. You may contact Ms. Anderson for copies of the 
proposed collection of information at telephone number (202) 646-2625 
or facsimile number (202) 646-3347 or e:mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With the passage of the Flood Disaster 
Protection Act of 1973, an owner of a structure, with a federally 
backed mortgage, located in the 1-percent annual chance floodplain, was 
required to purchase federal flood insurance. This was in response to 
the escalating damage caused by flooding and the unavailability of 
flood insurance from commercial insurance companies. As part of this 
effort, FEMA mapped the
1-percent annual chance floodplain in communities. However, due to 
scale limitations, individual structures that may be above the base 
flood cannot always be shown as being out of the
1-percent annual chance floodplain. FEMA will issue a Letter of Map 
Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision--Based on Fill (LOMR-F) to 
waive the Federal requirement for flood insurance when data is 
submitted to show that the property or structure is ``reasonably safe 
from flooding'' and at or above the elevation of the base flood.

Collection of Information

    Title: Right to Submit Technical or Scientific Data to Correct 
Mapping Deficiencies.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
collection.
    OMB Number: 3067-0147.
    Form Numbers: FEMA Forms 81-87, 81-87A, 81-87B.
    Abstract: The certification forms (referred to as MT-1 series 
forms) are designed to assist requesters in gathering information that 
FEMA needs to determine whether a certain property is likely to be 
flooded during the flood event that has a 1-percent annual chance of 
being equaled or exceeded in any given year (base flood).
    FEMA Form 81-87, Property Information, describes the location of 
the property, what is being requested, and what data are required to 
support the request.
    FEMA Form 81-87A, Elevation Information, indicates what the Base
(1-percent annual chance) Flood Elevation (BFE) for the property is, 
how the BFE was determined, the lowest ground elevation on the 
property, and/or the elevation of the lowest adjacent grade to any 
structures on the property. This information is required in order for 
FEMA to determine if the property that the requester would like removed 
from the SFHA is at or above the BFE.
    FEMA Form 81-87B, Community Acknowledgment, requires that a 
community official certify that the request complies with minimum 
floodplain management criteria specified in 44 CFR 60.3, as per NFIP 
regulations 44 CFR 65.5(a)(4).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:

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                                                                                                        Annual
             FEMA forms                     No. of        Frequency of response       Hours Per         burden
                                         respondents                                   response         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   (A)   (B)....................                 (C) (A x B x C)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
81-87...............................             3,300   Annual.................              1.63         5,379
81-87A..............................             3,300   Annual.................              0.67         2,211
81-87B..............................             3,300   Annual.................              0.88         2,904
                                     -------------------                         -------------------------------
  Total.............................             3,300   .......................              3.18        10,494

    Estimated Cost. Cost to respondents is estimated to be $346,459 
annually, while the cost to the Federal Government is estimated to be 
$900,000 annually.

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;

[[Page 13764]]

(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 within 
60 days of the date of this notice.

    Dated: March 20, 2002.
Reginald Trujillo,
Branch Chief, Program Services and Systems Branch, Facilities 
Management and Services Division, Administration and Resource Planning 
Directorate.
[FR Doc. 02-7194 Filed 3-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6718-01-P