[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70868-70873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23135]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.
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 revision of a currently approved information
collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), this notice seeks comments concerning the
community inspection report, which is the subject of this information
collection submission. The community inspection report will be used in
the implementation of the inspection procedure in the Monroe County,
the City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida and any
other community that incorporates in Monroe County on or after January
1, 1999. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To help
the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of
Islamorada, Florida, and any other communities in Monroe County that
incorporate after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their
communities (those built after the effective date of the Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), referred to as Post-FIRM) comply with the
community's floodplain management ordinance; and (2) to ensure that
property owners pay flood insurance premiums commensurate with their
flood risk.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The community inspection report, which is
the subject of this information collection submission, will be used in
the implementation of the inspection procedure in the Monroe County,
the City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida and any
other community that incorporates in Monroe County on or after January
1, 1999. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To help
the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of
Islamorada, Florida, and any other communities in Monroe County that
incorporate after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their
communities (those built after the effective date of the Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), referred to as Post-FIRM) comply with the
community's floodplain management ordinance; and (2) to ensure that
property owners pay flood insurance premiums commensurate with their
flood risk.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established by the
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (Pub. L. 90-448), as amended. The
Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (Pub. L. 93-234) and the National
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325) made significant
changes to the program. The primary purposes of the NFIP are to: (1)
Better indemnify individuals for flood losses through insurance; (2)
reduce future flood damages through state and community floodplain
management regulations; and (3) reduce federal expenditures for
disaster assistance and flood control. The NFIP makes Federally-backed
flood insurance coverage available only in those communities that adopt
and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to regulate new
development in flood hazard areas. Over 19,000 communities participate
in the NFIP.
The concept behind the program is that the communities would join
the NFIP to make their citizens eligible to purchase subsidized flood
insurance for existing buildings. It was recognized that insurance for
many of these buildings would be prohibitively expensive if the premium
were not subsidized. It was also recognized that most of these flood
prone buildings were built by individuals that did not have sufficient
knowledge of the hazard to make informed decisions.
In exchange for the availability of this subsidized insurance,
communities would protect new construction through adoption and
enforcement of community floodplain management ordinances. Owners of
these new buildings (those built after the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) had identified flood hazards in the community) would pay
actuarial rates for flood insurance that fully reflect the risk to the
building.
Community floodplain management regulations require that
residential buildings be elevated to or above the elevation of the base
flood (the flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring during any
given year, also known as the 100-year flood). Non-residential
buildings can either be elevated or flood proofed (made watertight) to
the base flood. Without community oversight of building activities and
development in the floodplain, the best efforts of some to reduce flood
losses could be undermined or destroyed by the careless building of
others. Community enforcement of a floodplain management ordinance is
critical in protecting a building from future flood damages, in
reducing taxpayer funded disaster assistance, and also in keeping flood
insurance rates affordable.
The purpose of the inspection procedures is to require owners of
insured buildings (policyholders) to obtain an inspection from
community floodplain management officials and submit a community
inspection report as a condition of renewing the Standard Flood
Insurance Policy (SFIP) on the building. The community inspection
report, which is the subject of this information collection submission,
will materially assist in reducing the number of buildings at risk to
flood losses. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To
help the pilot
[[Page 70869]]
communities for this inspection procedure, Monroe County, City of
Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida, and any community
that incorporates after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their
communities (those built after the effective date of the FIRM, or post-
FIRM) comply with the community's floodplain management ordinance; and
(2) to ensure that property owners pay flood insurance premiums
commensurate with their flood risk. Post-FIRM construction is charged
an actuarial rate that must fully reflect the risk of flooding. The
community inspection report will be needed to effectively implement the
inspection procedure. The community inspection report will be used to
document whether the insured building is in compliance with the
community's floodplain management ordinance. The inspection report will
also assist FEMA to ensure that property owners are paying flood
insurance premiums commensurate with their flood risk.
Under the NFIP Floodplain Management Regulations at 44 CFR 60.3,
all new construction and substantial improvements of structures in A
Zones on the community's FIRM must have any enclosed areas below the
lowest floor of an elevated building designed to include openings to
equalize hydrostatic flood pressure on exterior walls by allowing for
the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters. In V Zones, new
construction and substantial improvements must have the space below the
lowest floor either free of obstruction or constructed with open wood
lattice-work, insect screening, or non-supporting breakaway walls,
intended to collapse under wind and water loads without causing
collapse, displacement, or other structural damage to the elevated
portion of the building or supporting foundation system. In both A and
V Zones on the community's FIRM, the area below the lowest floor of an
elevated building can only be used for parking of vehicles, building
access, or storage.
In addition, owners must build the area below the lowest floor of
an elevated building using flood resistant materials and must use
construction methods and practices that minimize flood damages. Owners
must also build with electrical, ventilation, plumbing, and air
conditioning equipment and other service facilities that are designed
or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within
the components during conditions of flooding.
FEMA conducted a Community Assistance Visit (CAV) in Monroe County,
Florida, in 1982, 1987, and in 1995. The purpose of a CAV is to assess
an NFIP community's floodplain management program and to provide
whatever assistance the community needs to administer its floodplain
management ordinance effectively when program deficiencies or
violations are identified. One of the more serious problems that FEMA
identified through the CAVs was the apparent widespread use of the
enclosed area below the lowest floor of elevated buildings for uses
other than parking of vehicles, building access, or storage. Follow-up
contacts with Monroe County had indicated that it was unable to
identify possible violations and remedy violations identified.
There are several factors that have limited Monroe County's ability
to determine whether a building with an enclosure complies with the
county's floodplain management ordinance: (1) A provision in Florida
laws exempts ``owner-occupied family residences'' from the
administrative warrant inspection procedure provided under State law
for identifying building-safety issues. Under Florida State law, entry
by local officials into owner-occupied single family homes without
consent of the owner requires a search warrant, which is extremely
difficult to obtain. (2) It is often difficult from the street to
determine whether the enclosed area below an elevated building contains
uses other than parking of vehicles, building access, or storage.
Although the County can seek consent and approval of the owner to
inspect their property, the community has had limited success in
identifying violations using this method. (3) The volume of possible
violations is also a contributing factor in the community's ability to
address this problem. Monroe County estimated that there are several
thousand buildings with illegal enclosures below the lowest floor of an
elevated building. Consequently, the community has had little success
in identifying possible violations so that it could then require
actions to remedy the violations to the maximum extent possible.
Given these circumstances, Monroe County indicated its interest in
participating in an inspection procedure. In January 1997, a Monroe
County Citizen's Task Force, which was appointed by the Monroe County
Board of County Commissioners to address the issue of illegal
enclosures below the lowest floor of an elevated building, recommended
establishment of a procedure to require an inspection and a compliance
report prior to the renewal of a flood insurance policy. On June 11,
1998, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida,
passed a resolution that requested FEMA to establish an inspection
procedure for the County as a means of verifying that insured buildings
in the Special Flood Hazard Area under the NFIP comply with the
County's floodplain management ordinance.
The Village of Islamorada incorporated as a separate community
within Monroe County in January 1998 and became a separate
participating NFIP community on October 1, 1998. The Village of
Islamorada encompasses four of the Florida Keys that would have been
included as part of the inspection procedure in Monroe County. Because
of possible illegal enclosures in the Village of Islamorada, the
community indicated its interest in participating in the pilot
inspection procedure in a letter dated September 24, 1998, in its
application to join the NFIP.
The City of Marathon incorporated as a separate community within
Monroe County on November 2, 1999 and became a separate participating
NFIP community on October 16, 2000. The City of Marathon encompasses 12
miles of the Florida Keys that would have been included as part of the
inspection procedure in Monroe County. Because of possible illegal
enclosures in the City of Marathon, the community indicated its
interest in participating in the pilot inspection procedure in a
resolution titled, ``A Resolution of the City Council of the City of
Marathon, Florida, Providing for Approval of the City's Participation
in the National Flood Insurance Program's Pilot Inspection Program and
Providing for an Effective Date'', which was passed and adopted on
September 13, 2000.
An interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on
March 8, 2002 (67 FR 10631) that amended the NFIP regulations to
clarify that areas of Monroe County that incorporate on or after
January 1, 1999, and become eligible for the sale of flood insurance
must participate in the inspection procedures as a condition of joining
the NFIP. This requirement was specifically stated in the supplementary
of the proposed rule (published in the Federal Register on May 5, 1999,
64 FR 24256) and in the final rule (published in the Federal Register
on June 27, 2000, 65 FR 39726) establishing the inspection procedure.
However, this requirement was not clearly stated in the Appendices
(A)(4), (A)(5), and (A)(6) of 44 CFR part 61, the endorsements to the
Standard Flood Insurance Policy. The interim final rule amended 44 CFR
59.30 and the appendices to make clearer that participation in the
inspection
[[Page 70870]]
procedures is a requirement for any area within Monroe County that
incorporates on or after January 1, 1999. FEMA will publish notices in
the Federal Register when communities in Monroe County incorporate,
agree to implement the pilot inspection procedure, and become eligible
for the sale of flood insurance.
Due to the fact that there has been widespread use of the enclosed
area below the lowest floor of elevated buildings for uses other than
parking of vehicles, building access or storage, the community
inspection report will materially assist the communities in identifying
and remedying the violation, thereby reduce the number of buildings
exposed to significant flood losses. Furthermore, the collection of
information will help FEMA ensure that the policyholders of buildings
with illegal enclosures are paying premiums commensurate with their
flood risk.
The inspection procedure will be conducted in the communities of
Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of Islamorada, and any
other community in Monroe County that incorporates after January 1,
1999. FEMA would make any decision to implement the inspection
procedure in NFIP participating communities outside Monroe County only
after completing the pilot inspection procedure within the selected
communities and after an evaluation to determine how effective the
procedure is in achieving NFIP building compliance. Implementation of
the inspection procedure beyond Monroe County would require separate
rulemaking and preparation of supporting materials for Paperwork
Reduction Act submissions.
Collection of Information
Title: Inspection of Insured Structures by Communities.
Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently approved
collection.
OMB Number: 1660-0045.
Abstract: The purpose of the inspection procedure and need for the
community inspection report is to:
(1) To help the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the
Village of Islamorada, Florida, and any other community in Monroe
County that incorporates after January 1, 1999 verify and document that
post-FIRM structures in their communities comply with the community's
floodplain management ordinance; and
(2)To ensure that property owners pay flood insurance premiums
commensurate with their flood risk due to the increased exposure to
flood damages.
The final rule (published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2000,
65 FR 39726) and the interim final rule (published in the Federal
Register on March 8, 2002, 67 FR 10631) established an inspection
procedure in Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of
Islamorada, Florida and any other community in Monroe County that
incorporates after January 1, 1999 that would be built around the flood
insurance policy renewal process. The requirement that a building be
inspected by the community, as a condition of renewing the flood
insurance policy on the building, would only apply to NFIP insured
buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas that are identified as possible
violations by the community in which the property is located. The
Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) is an area that is based on a flood
that would have a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any
given year, referred to as the 100-year flood.
Policyholders that have a flood insurance policy with a renewal
effective date on and after the implementation date of the pilot
inspection procedure would receive, along with their policy renewal
notice, an endorsement established in Appendices (A)(4), (A)(5), and
(A)(6) of 44 CFR part 61. The endorsement would provide that an
inspection by the community may be required before a subsequent renewal
of the flood insurance policy. Policies issued as new policies after
the effective date for implementing the pilot inspection procedure
would also contain the endorsement established in Appendices (A)(4),
(A)(5), and (A)(6). The endorsement amended all flood insurance
policies (pre-FIRM and post-FIRM) on buildings in Monroe County, City
of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida (there are
approximately 28,771 flood insurance policies in these communities at
the time of this submission). Pre-FIRM insured buildings are included
for the endorsement since there may be some policies within this
category that should be rated post-FIRM because they were misrated or
substantially improved after the effective date of the community's
FIRM. A notice describing the purpose of the inspection procedure would
accompany the new endorsement to the Standard Flood Insurance Policy
regarding the inspection procedure.
Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada
would identify possible violations and forward the list to FEMA. There
are an estimated 2,000-4,000 number of insured buildings within the
three communities that may be subject to an inspection based on the
identification as possible violations. This estimate was reported to
FEMA from the communities. Based on FEMA's review of floodplain
development in these communities, FEMA is comfortable with this
estimate.
Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada
would identify possible violations through a review of the pre-FIRM and
post-FIRM flood insurance policies provided by FEMA and from a visual
street inspection of the building, from tax records, and through a
review of other documents on file in the community pertaining to the
property and through other community procedures. For buildings
identified by Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of
Islamorada as possible violations, the insurer of the flood insurance
policy would send a notice to policyholders approximately 6 months
before the policy expiration date. This notice would state that the
policyholder must obtain an inspection from the community and submit
the results of the property inspection as part of the renewal of the
flood insurance policy by the end of the renewal grade period (30 days
after date of the policy expiration). The insurer would send a reminder
notice to the policyholder with the Renewal Notice about 45 to 60 days
before the policy expires.
The policyholder would be responsible for contacting the community
to arrange for an inspection. The community would inspect the building
to determine whether it complies with the community's floodplain
management ordinance and document its findings in an inspection report.
The community would provide two copies of the inspection report to the
policyholder.
If the policyholder obtained a timely inspection and sent the
community's inspection report and the renewal premium payment to the
insurer by the end of the renewal grace period, the insurer would renew
the flood insurance policy whether or not the building has been
identified as a violation by the community. The insurer would review
the insurance policy for rerating upon review of the community
inspection report. If the building was not properly rated to reflect
the building's risk of flooding, the policy would be rerated to reflect
that risk. If the community's inspection found a violation, the
community would undertake an enforcement action in accordance with its
floodplain management ordinance.
If the policyholder did not obtain an inspection and submit an
inspection report with the renewal premium
[[Page 70871]]
payment by the end of the renewal grace period (30 days after date of
expiration), the flood insurance policy would not be renewed. The
insurer would send a notice to the insured that the flood insurance
policy expired and cannot be re-issued without the community inspection
report.
The communities will not be using a FEMA designed form in
documenting the inspection of an insured structure. FEMA consulted with
local officials from the communities participating in the inspection
procedure on the type of existing building inspection reports they use
to implement their floodplain management ordinance and we determined
that the current community inspection documents could be used for
purposes of implementing the inspection procedure and for purposes of
determining whether the building's flood insurance policy needs to be
rerated by insurer.
The community inspection report is critical to the effective
implementation of the inspection procedure. Without the inspection
procedure, the Village of Islamorada, City of Marathon, and Monroe
County would continue to have limited ability to inspect properties for
illegal enclosures that violate their floodplain management ordinance
and as a result, both communities would be unable to undertake
appropriate actions to remedy the violations. There are several
potential serious consequences if these structures continue to be in
violation of the community's floodplain management ordinance.
Allowing uses other than parking of vehicles, building access, or
storage in the enclosed area below the Base Flood Elevation (elevation
of the 100-year flood) significantly increases the flood damage
potential to the area below the lowest floor of the elevated building.
Improperly constructed enclosure walls and utilities can tear away and
damage the upper portions of the elevated building exposing the
building to greater damage. Improperly constructed enclosures can also
result in flood forces being transferred to the elevated portion of the
building with the potential for catastrophic damage. If a flood
disaster occurs, the impact will go beyond the building itself. If the
ground level enclosure is finished with living spaces, there is an
increased risk to lives. Residents who live in these ground level
enclosures may not be fully aware of the flood risk.
Furthermore, there is limited coverage in this area for elevated
post-FIRM buildings, as provided for in the Standard Flood Insurance
Policy (SFIP) under Article 6--Property Not Covered. This provision of
the SFIP, effective since October 1, 1983, limits coverage for
enclosures, including personal property contained therein. FEMA does
not cover such items as finished enclosure walls, floors, ceilings, and
personal property such as rugs, carpets, and furniture. In 1983, FEMA
limited the coverage for enclosed areas below elevated buildings due to
the financial losses experienced in the NFIP when FEMA provided full
coverage in these areas. Consequently, property owners and residents
that may live in these lower enclosed areas may have significant
uninsured losses in the event of a flood for finished items and
contents below the lowest floor.
However, in spite of the limited coverage afforded for these
enclosed areas, they do affect the rating of the policy. Because of the
increase in flood damage potential to the building resulting from flood
forces being transferred to the elevated portion of the building, the
damage potential must be recognized in the rates by adding rate
loadings based on the size of the enclosure. In addition, the rates
must also reflect whether the enclosure contains essential building
elements which are covered, namely, sump pumps, well water tanks and
pumps, electrical junction and circuit breaker boxes, elevators,
natural gas tanks, pumps or tanks related to solar energy, cisterns,
stairways and staircases attached to the building, and foundation
elements that support the building. The collection of information from
the policyholder in the inspection procedure will ensure that the
policyholders of buildings with enclosures are paying premiums
commensurate with their flood risk.
Along with significant flood damages to the building and the
potential for loss of life, the community, the State, and the Federal
Government will be faced with costly outlays for flood fighting and
rescue operations, response, and recovery as well as taxpayer funded
disaster assistance.
Under the inspection procedure, the policyholder will be required
to obtain an inspection in order to renew the policy. This will be a
one-time collection of information during the period of time for which
the inspection procedure is to be implemented. Since the primary
purpose of the inspection is to provide communities with a mechanism to
ensure compliance with the floodplain management ordinance and for FEMA
to verify flood insurance rates, less frequent collection of the
information through the inspection report is not possible.
Affected Public: Individuals or households and business or other
for-profit.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: We expect a total of 2,000 to
4,000 respondents (policyholders) to obtain an inspection from the
community in which the property is located. This is the total estimated
number of insured buildings that are possible violations of the
community's floodplain management ordinance in Monroe County, City of
Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada. The burden hours are
calculated based on the maximum number of estimated respondents (4,000
insured buildings). Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of
Islamorada will identify which insured buildings are possible
violations of the community's floodplain management ordinance. It is
anticipated that the inspection procedure will be implemented over a
multi-year period in each community in order to inspect several hundred
insured buildings identified as possible violations each year.
It is estimated that Monroe County will inspect 500-700 insured
buildings per year, the City of Marathon will inspect 200-400 insured
buildings per year, and the Village of Islamorada will inspect 200-400
insured buildings per year.
The policyholders of insured buildings identified as possible
violations by the community will receive a notice from their insurer
approximately 6 months before the policy expiration date. This notice
will state that the policyholder must obtain an inspection from the
community and submit the results of the inspection as part of the
renewal of the flood insurance policy by the end of the renewal grace
period (30 days after date of the policy expiration). In addition, for
each of the 2,000-4,000 insured buildings identified as a possible
violation of the community's floodplain management ordinance, the
following will apply:
The policyholder will receive a reminder notice from the
insurer regarding the inspection with the Renewal Notice about 45 to 60
days before the policy expires.
The policyholder is responsible for contacting the
community to arrange for an inspection by a local official in the
community in which the property is located.
The policyholder will receive two copies of the inspection
report from the community and submit one copy of the inspection report
as part of the policy renewal process, which includes the payment of
the premium.
[[Page 70872]]
If the policyholder did not obtain an inspection and
submit an inspection report with the renewal payment by the end of the
renewal grade period (30 days after date of expiration), the flood
insurance policy would not be renewed. The insurer would send a notice
at expiration or shortly thereafter to the policyholder that the flood
insurance policy expired and cannot be re-issued without the community
inspection report.
The flood insurance renewal notice and flood insurance application
have previously been approved by OMB (OMB 1660-0045).
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Frequency of Total burden
Number of respondents/Type of response response Burden hours hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4,000 policyholders to receive & read a notice 1 15 minutes (total for both 1000
that an inspection is required in order for notices).
the flood insurance policy to be renewed.
These 4,000 policyholders will also receive a
reminder notice about 45-60 days before the
policy expires.
�����������������������������������������������-----------------
4,000 policyholders contact respective 1 1-2.5 hours **.................. 10,000
community to arrange for an inspection of the
property. Local official inspects the
property with the policyholder or his/her
designee. (Note: In any given year we expect
several hundred policyholders to receive the
notice and contact their community.)
Compliant buildings should take less time to
inspect compared to an insured building that
is non-compliant.
�����������������������������������������������-----------------
4,000 policyholders submit a copy of the 1 8 minutes....................... 533
inspection report with the renewal premium 1 8 minutes....................... 107
payment. 800 estimated no. of respondents
that did not obtain an inspection. These
respondents will be sent a notice at time of
policy expiration that their flood insurance
policy expired. (FEMA estimates that less
than 20% of the 4,000 respondents will not
obtain an inspection and as a result their
flood insurance policy will not be renewed.)
�����������������������������������������������-----------------
*Total number of Burden Hours to implement .............. 11,640
the inspection procedure over a multi-
year period.
Annual (one-time) total burden hours .............. 3
for each policyholder is
approximately.
Total annual burden for approximately .............. 2,100
500-700 inspections per year in
Monroe County.
Total annual burden for approximately .............. 1,200
200-400 inspections per year in the
Village of Islamorada.
Total annual burden for approximately .............. 1,200
200-400 inspections per year in the
City of Marathon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**FEMA has estimated that the amount of time to contact the community to arrange for the inspection and for the
policyholder or his/her designee to be available to let the community official into the building to conduct
the inspection will range from 1 hour to 2.5 hours.
*It is estimated that 2,000-4,000 buildings will need to be inspected over a multi-year period. On an annual
basis, it is estimated that 900-1,500 buildings will be inspected each year when you combine the estimated
annual inspections to be conducted by each community. The total number of inspections would not change with
the incorporation of any community within Monroe County that joins the National Flood Insurance Program and
agrees to participate in the inspection procedure after January 1, 1999. The estimated total number of
inspections (2,000-4,000) remains the same. The addition of any other community only offsets the total number,
burden hours, and costs in Monroe County.
Estimated Cost: Communities generally charge a fee for permits and
inspections as part of their administration of their zoning ordinance,
building code, and floodplain management ordinance. It is estimated
that it will cost the policyholder on average between $35 to $50.00 for
each inspection. There may be expenses related to telephone calls and
arranging for someone to be available at the property so that local
officials can inspect the building. These expenses are estimated to be
on average $15.00 per respondent. Therefore, policyholders who are
required to obtain an inspection as a condition of renewing the flood
insurance policy and who obtain that inspection, it is estimated to
cost on average $65.00 per policyholder. For approximately 900 to 1,500
inspections per year, the total annual cost burden to respondents is
estimated to be between $58,500 and $97,500.
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 within 60 days of the date of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit written comments to Chief,
Records Management Section, Information Resources Management Branch,
Information Technology Services Division, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security, 500 C Street, SW., Room 316,
Washington, DC 20472.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Rachel Sears, Program
Specialist, Mitigation Division, (202)646-2977 for additional
information. You may contact the Records Management Branch for copies
of the proposed collection of information at facsimile number (202)
646-3347 or e-mail address: [email protected].
[[Page 70873]]
Dated: November 3, 2005.
Darcy Bingham,
Branch Chief, Information Resources Management Branch, Information
Technology Services Division.
[FR Doc. 05-23135 Filed 11-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-11-P