[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 225 (Friday, November 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82322-82323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25977]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Understanding the Human Response to Water Hazards: A Social 
Network Analysis

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before January 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Do not submit 
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Ji Sun Lee, Director, Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences 
Program, National Weather Service, 1325 East West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910, 301-349-6175, and [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for a new collection of information. The Social, 
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Program (SBES) in the Office of 
Science and Technology Integration for the National Weather Service 
(NWS) is sponsoring this data collection effort.
    Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the NWS SBES Program was 
provided funding to better understand the human responses to water 
hazard services and products. This project seeks to understand and 
mitigate flooding outcomes for riverine

[[Page 82323]]

communities, especially those that rank high on the Centers for Disease 
Control's (CDC's) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), by conducting a 
Social Network Analysis (SNA) to study how stakeholders within 2 
selected communities, Roanoke, Virginia and Greenbrier County, West 
Virginia. Based on interviews with local government leaders and faith/
community-based organizations (FCBOs) along with a survey of residents, 
the resulting SNA will map how messages are created and distributed, 
how they are accessed and understood, and how the information affects 
the decisions of emergency and water resource managers, first 
responders, community partners, and the general public as they prepare 
for, respond to, and recover from flooding events. While the NWS 
possesses some anecdotal knowledge of the dissemination and use of 
flood forecasts, a more complete accounting and formal analysis of the 
individuals and groups within these networks are needed. Ideally, the 
findings from the SNA in relation to the water hazard products and 
services will not only improve the NWS's understanding of who the 
stakeholders are, but also how they use the information provided and 
what they believe are the benefits for their constituents.
    The primary driver for this project comes from the direction of 
NOAA leadership to develop a social behavioral infrastructure with data 
that supports the NWS in providing equitable service delivery for all 
of its products and services. Based on H.R.3684 Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Provision 3: funding shall be used for 
coastal and inland flood and inundation mapping and forecasting, next-
generation water modeling activities such as modernized precipitation 
frequency and probable maximum studies, and transformative foundational 
social science research that build infrastructure and supports 
equitable service delivery to all communities. This project also aligns 
with Goal 3 of the NWS Strategic Plan to transform our Agency to meet 
current and future needs of society by (3.6) delivering actionable 
inland and coastal water resource and inundation information across all 
time scales to address the growing risk of flooding, drought, and low 
water flow as well as immediate and long range water management and 
planning; and by (3.8) understanding and applying the best social, 
behavioral, and economic sciences to clearly communicate information 
with communities in multiple languages and deliver equitable service 
for those historically underserved and socially vulnerable to attain 
the desired response to high impact events.
    Semi-structured interviews will be utilized to collect information 
from state and local government leaders, as well as FCBO leaders. A 
survey will be provided to residents of both communities, along with an 
in-person intercept survey provided to residents of Greenbrier County 
based on interviews with the FCBO leaders.
    The SNA maps derived from the data collected will be utilized by 
the following NWS offices:
     Community Engagement Program to support outreach and 
engagement activities with specific groups and the organizations that 
serve these populations.
     The Decision Support Integration Branch of the Analyze, 
Forecast, and Support Office to help them identify and recruit 
organizations, businesses, and individuals who may be well poised to 
become Weather-Ready Ambassadors. The raw data collected will be used 
by:
     The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBES) 
Program in the Office of Science and Technology Integration in 
developing an Agent Based Model (ABM) that can demonstrate, describe, 
and potentially anticipate evacuation and mobility behaviors within a 
prescribed system for inland flooding events. If possible, the 
application of an ABM will support the development of mitigation 
efforts that stakeholders can test to understand how the actions of 
specific agents within a system could possibly alter outcomes of 
flooding events for a community.

II. Method of Collection

    The semi-structured interviews will be conducted, either face-to-
face or via video conferencing technology based on schedules and 
participant preference. The survey responses will be collected via a 
web platform called REDCap, while the intercept surveys will be fielded 
by the contractor and conducted face-to-face during invited community 
events.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, new information collection.
    Affected Public: Local government, Not-for profit, and individuals 
or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 790.
    Estimated Time per Response: Semi-structured interviews: 1 hour; 
Survey: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 227.50 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $6744.40.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: H.R.3684 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 
(IIJA), Provision 3: funding shall be used for coastal and inland flood 
and inundation mapping and forecasting, next-generation water modeling 
activities such as modernized precipitation frequency and probable 
maximum studies, and transformative foundational social science 
research that build infrastructure and supports equitable service 
delivery to all communities.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    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 personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-25977 Filed 11-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KE-P