[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29686-29687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09695]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX22.LQ00.UN80423; OMB Control Number 1028-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Assessment of Flooding 
Impacts and Climate Inequities

AGENCY: Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the U.S. Geological Survey

[[Page 29687]]

(USGS) is proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
July 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to U.S. Geological Survey, Information Collections 
Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control 
Number 1028-NEW--Flooding in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact John Warner by email at [email protected], or 
by telephone at 508-457-2237. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point of contact in the United States. You may also view the ICR at 
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require 
approval. We may not conduct or sponsor, nor are you required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.
    We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How the agency might 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 response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While 
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: We will investigate social vulnerability to coastal-storm 
flooding in urban neighborhoods to assess inequities in the burden of 
flood risk. Recent flood disasters arising from severe coastal storms 
and hurricanes (i.e., Hurricane Ida 2021) have demonstrated the 
critical importance of incorporating rainfall into assessments of 
coastal flood risk. Climate change is leading to both increasing 
rainfall intensity and higher water levels during floods, creating 
increased risk for residents of low-lying areas such as those living in 
basement apartments who are often low-income or from minority racial 
groups. We will collect data on vulnerability to flooding from rainfall 
and tidal flooding through interviews and household/small business 
surveys. Participants will be drawn from residents and businesses in 
the Jamaica Bay watershed in and around Brooklyn, New York, who have 
experienced rainfall and/or tidal flooding within the last four years. 
Interview participants will be identified through snowball sampling and 
contact with community leaders. We plan to interview or conduct focus 
group discussions (FGDs) with 20 residents and to interview 5 small 
business owners, with each interview or FGD lasting 1-2 hours. 
Participants will share their experiences, concerns, and responses to 
flooding events and risks. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed. 
Transcripts will then be analyzed using qualitative data analysis 
software such as Atlas.ti. We will survey 300 households and 150 small- 
to medium business owners, with each survey lasting about 30 minutes. 
We will select survey participants through stratified random sampling. 
We will use regression analysis on the survey data to investigate 
indicators of vulnerability.
    Title of Collection: Assessment of Flooding Impacts and Climate 
Inequities.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Residents and businesses in the 
Jamaica Bay watershed in and around Brooklyn, New York, who have 
experienced rainfall and/or tidal flooding during the last 4 years.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 475: 20 resident 
interviews or FGD participants, 5 small business interviews; 300 
household surveys, 150 small business surveys.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 475: 20 resident 
interviews or FGD participants, 5 small business interviews; 300 
household surveys, 150 small business surveys.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 2 hours for resident 
interviews or FGDs, 1 hour or less for small business interviews, 0.5 
hour for household surveys and 0.5 hours for small business surveys.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 270 Hours.

20 resident interviews/FGD x 2 hrs = 40 hrs
5 small business interviews x 1 hr = 5 hrs
300 household surveys x 0.5 hr = 150 hrs
150 small business surveys x 0.5 hr = 75 hrs

    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Jane Denny,
Acting Center Director, USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science 
Center.
[FR Doc. 2023-09695 Filed 5-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P