[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24505-24506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9761]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2012-0007]


Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Wind Retrofit Projects for 
Existing Residential Buildings

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting 
comments on Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Wind Retrofit Projects for 
Existing Residential Buildings.

DATES: Comments must be received by June 25, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID FEMA-2012-
0007, by one of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for 
docket ID FEMA-2012-0007 and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments. Please note that this proposed policy is not a rulemaking and 
the Federal Rulemaking Portal is being utilized only as a mechanism for 
receiving comments.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Chief Counsel, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street SW., Room 835, Washington, DC 
20472-3100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cecelia Rosenberg, Federal Insurance 
and Mitigation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
1800 South Bell Street, Room 608, Arlington, VA 20598-3015, (phone) 
202-646-3321, or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or 
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will 
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting 
this information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act 
notice which can be viewed by clicking on the ``Privacy Notice'' link 
in the footer of www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: The proposed policy is available in docket ID FEMA-2012-
0007. For access to the docket to read background documents or comments 
received, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and search for the docket ID. Submitted comments 
may also be inspected at FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, Room 835, 500 C 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20472.

II. Background

    The Pre-Disaster Mitigation program (PDM) and the Hazard Mitigation 
Grant

[[Page 24506]]

Program (HMGP), authorized by sections 203 and 404 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121 
et seq., provide funding for eligible, feasible, and cost-effective 
activities that have the purpose of reducing or eliminating risks to 
life and property from hazards and their effects. One such activity is 
the implementation of wind retrofit projects to protect existing one- 
and two-family residential buildings (not including manufactured 
housing) from hurricane-force wind-related damages. FEMA has prepared a 
proposed Mitigation Policy to address PDM and HMGP programmatic 
guidelines for this project type. The policy will help ensure national 
consistency in the use of funds for this hazard mitigation activity. 
The proposed policy identifies key project requirements specific to 
this hazard mitigation activity including: Eligible activities and 
Mitigation Packages, building evaluation criteria, project application 
requirements, and eligible and ineligible costs. The proposed policy 
also provides the public, building professionals and decision-makers 
with direction on the implementation steps required for a complete wind 
retrofit project subapplication.
    Thousands of existing homes in the hurricane-prone region are 
vulnerable to the effects of coastal high-wind events and are not 
designed to the same level of wind resistance required by today's codes 
and standards. FEMA concluded that additional technical guidance is 
needed to facilitate the development of hazard mitigation retrofit 
projects for such residential buildings. As a result, the proposed 
policy relies on publication FEMA P-804, Wind Retrofit Guide for 
Residential Buildings, as a guideline for these wind retrofit projects. 
FEMA P-804 provides the technical guidance needed to promote and 
properly perform wind retrofit projects for existing one- and two-
family residential buildings. The publication offers a unified 
technical and programmatic solution to residential wind retrofit 
projects using three Mitigation Packages (Basic, Intermediate, and 
Advanced). Each successive package contains retrofit standards that 
increase the level of protection for wind-related damages to the 
building.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 5133; 5170(c).

W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2012-9761 Filed 4-23-12; 8:45 am]
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