    [Federal Register Volume 85, Number 168 (Friday, August 28, 2020)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 53377-53379]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 2020-18996]

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    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    [60Day-20-20QN; Docket No. CDC-2020-0085]

    Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and
    Recommendations

    AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
    Health and Human Services (HHS).

    ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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    SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part
    of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the
    utility of government information, invites the general public and other
    Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
    continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork
    Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on ``Availability,
    Use, and Public Health Impact of Emergency Supply Kits among Disaster-
    Affected Populations.'' The goal of this study is to determine the
    efficacy and public health impact of emergency supply kits among
    disaster-affected populations to understand how emergency supply kits
    are used during and after a natural disaster, if public health outcomes
    are associated with access to emergency supply kits, and what the most
    useful items to include in an emergency supply kit are across different
    types of disasters.

    DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 27, 2020.

    ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
    0085 by any of the following methods:
         Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the
    instructions for submitting comments.
         Mail: Jeffrey Zirger, Information Collection Review
    Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
    NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
        Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
    and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted
    without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information
    provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or
    comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
        Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the
    Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the
    address listed above.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the
    proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan
    and instruments, contact Jeffry Zirger, Information Collection Review
    Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
    NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email:
    omb@cdc.gov.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
    (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from
    the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of
    information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires
    Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register
    concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new
    proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of
    information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information
    collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To
    comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a
    proposed data collection as described below.
        The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
        1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
    necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
    including whether the information will have practical utility;
        2. 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;
        3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
    be collected; and
        4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
    who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,

    [[Page 53378]]

    electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
    other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
    submissions of responses.
        5. Assess information collection costs.

    Proposed Project

    Availability, Use, and Public Health Impact of Emergency Supply Kits
    Among Disaster-Affected Populations--New--National Center for
    Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    (CDC)

    Background and Brief Description
        The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is requesting a
    new information collection request (ICR) with two years of approval. An
    all-of-society approach to disaster risk reduction emphasizes inclusion
    and engagement in preparedness activities. A common recommendation is
    to promote household preparedness through the preparation of an
    emergency supply kit that can be used to shelter-in-place or during
    evacuation. Lack of household preparedness is a public health concern,
    especially in medically frail populations, because it consumes first
    responders' time, taking them away from relief and recovery efforts,
    and can easily deplete community health resources. The Federal
    Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) states that individuals or
    households are prepared for a disaster if they have thought about and
    planned for the types of disaster for which they are at most risk, have
    developed a family communication and evacuation plan in the event of a
    disaster, and have assembled a complete disaster (emergency) supply
    kit. However, the prevalence of emergency supply kits across households
    in the United States ranges considerably from a community-level low of
    10% to a regional high of 68%. This lack and variation of emergency
    supply kits across households makes household disaster preparedness a
    public health concern.
        Self-sufficiency (defined as the ability to shelter-in-place
    without needing to leave your home or call for outside assistance for
    ~3 days following a disaster) can help reduce the demands placed on
    first responders during critical times, which has downstream public
    health impacts. Among persons with an existing physical or mental
    health condition at the time of the disaster, having an adequate supply
    of prescription and over-the-counter medications and medical supplies
    allows people to maintain treatment and prevent worsening or
    exacerbation of their existing condition or illness. It also can reduce
    their need for emergency medical services following a disaster. The
    FEMA definition of an emergency supply kit is one that can sustain each
    member of a household with food, water, and medication for up to three
    days. However, there are several knowledge gaps and challenges related
    to emergency supply kit use and effectiveness, including whether the
    current recommendations are adequate or need expansion. We identified
    the following gaps:
         Lack of consistency for what supplies to include in an
    emergency supply kit: While the public can access information on what
    contents are likely important to include in emergency supply kits,
    there is a lack of information as to whether there is a standard set of
    supplies that is consistently needed across disaster types
         Lack of a standard tool for evaluation of emergency supply
    kit use and effectiveness
         Lack of information on how emergency supply kit items are
    used during or following disasters: Currently we lack detailed
    information on how households use emergency supply kit items during or
    following disasters and what, if any, are barriers to their use
         Lack of information on effectiveness of emergency supply
    kits in preventing adverse outcomes: To our knowledge, there is no
    information on whether the use of emergency supply items prevents
    adverse health outcomes. Among individuals with health conditions, it
    remains unclear whether preparing an emergency supply kit with adequate
    medications and medical supplies prevents the worsening of conditions
    or the need for emergency medical services
         Lack of data to support emergency supply kit
    recommendations: It is unclear whether having essential supplies
    improves self-sufficiency and lessens the need for outside assistance
        This general lack of research on the efficacy and use of emergency
    supply kits impedes our ability to make data-driven recommendations
    regarding emergency supply kit promotion. The cross-sectional disaster
    survey and focus group(s) on the public's knowledge, preparedness, and
    use of emergency supply kits will identify and inform public health
    officials about the most useful items to include in an emergency supply
    kit, ideally across two different types of disasters. Data collection
    is anticipated to be between September 2020 and April 2022, depending
    upon disaster occurrence. Parameters for site selection include a major
    or state-level disaster declaration for a natural disaster that affects
    a mid- to high-density area (e.g., population of 100,000 people) within
    the United States.
        Survey participants will be selected via address-based sampling in
    the defined geographic area impacted by the disaster and given the
    choice to complete the survey via paper (i.e., Teleform) or online via
    a web-based instrument. Survey participants will also be recruited
    using an existing, nonprobability web panel and be directed to the
    online, web-based instrument to create a larger, more cost-effective
    dataset. Focus group participants will be randomly selected among
    survey respondents and/or recruited via targeted social media (e.g.,
    Facebook, Craigslist) to provide context and enhancement to the survey.
        The estimated annualized burden is 464 hours. The estimated burden
    is based on conducting the survey in two sites, taking 15-minutes per
    respondent via the web or 45 minutes via paper survey, and up to two
    focus groups in each site taking approximately 120 minutes. There is no
    cost to respondents other than their time.

                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                           Total
                                                         Number of       Number of    Average burden    annualized
          Type of respondent            Form name       respondents    responses per   per  response    burden  (in
                                                                        respondent      (in hours)        hours)
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    General Public Household        Web Survey......             667               1           15/60             166
     Member.
                                    Paper Survey....             333               1           45/60             250
                                    Focus Group.....              24               1          120/60              48
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        Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             464
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    [[Page 53379]]

    Jeffrey M. Zirger,
    Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific
    Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and
    Prevention.
    [FR Doc. 2020-18996 Filed 8-27-20; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4163-18-P