Community Disaster Resilience Zones and the National Risk Index, 95801-95803 [2024-28015]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2024 / Notices Dated: November 27, 2024. Malabika J. Ghosh, Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development. [FR Doc. 2024–28329 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Pursuant to section 1009 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, notice is hereby given of the following meeting. The meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with the provisions set forth in sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), title 5 U.S.C., as amended. The purpose of this meeting is to evaluate requests for preclinical development resources for potential new therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The outcome of the evaluation will provide information to internal NCI committees that will decide whether NCI should support requests and make available contract resources for development of the potential therapeutic to improve the treatment of various forms of cancer. The research proposals and the discussions could disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal information concerning individuals associated with the proposed research projects, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Name of Committee: National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel; OCT2024 Cycle 48 NExT SEP Committee Meeting. Date: December 10, 2024. Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Agenda: To evaluate the NCI Experimental Therapeutics Program Portfolio. Place: National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 31, Room 3A44, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (Virtual Meeting). Contact Persons: Barbara Mroczkowski, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, Discovery Experimental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 31 Center Drive, Room 3A44, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, 301–496–4291, mroczkoskib@ mail.nih.gov. Toby Hecht, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, Development Experimental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 3W110, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 240–276–5683, toby.hecht2@nih.gov. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:09 Dec 02, 2024 Jkt 265001 This notice is being published less than 15 days from the meeting date due to exceptional circumstances. An unanticipated number of projects for clinical trial support of promising experimental therapeutics treating various cancer types, including pediatric cancer, were received which delayed the identification of panel members with the appropriate expertise. If the meeting is not held on December 10, 2024, there will be a profound negative impact on translational cancer research resulting in a 6– 9-month delay in funding which will significantly slow down the initiation of meritorious projects/clinical trials by one year. (Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.392, Cancer Construction; 93.393, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research; 93.394, Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research; 93.395, Cancer Treatment Research; 93.396, Cancer Biology Research; 93.397, Cancer Centers Support; 93.398, Cancer Research Manpower; 93.399, Cancer Control, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated: November 27, 2024. Lauren A. Fleck, Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 2024–28356 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 95801 Development, 6710 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting. Contact Person: Helen Huang, Ph.D., Scientific Review Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH 6710B Rockledge Drive, Room 2137D Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435–8207, Helen.Huang@ nih.gov. (Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.864, Population Research; 93.865, Research for Mothers and Children; 93.929, Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research; 93.209, Contraception and Infertility Loan Repayment Program, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated: November 26, 2024. Lauren A. Fleck, Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy. [FR Doc. 2024–28242 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4140–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency [Docket ID: FEMA–2023–0009] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Community Disaster Resilience Zones and the National Risk Index Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 1009 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, notice is hereby given of the following meeting. The meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with the provisions set forth in sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), title 5 U.S.C., as amended. The grant applications and the discussions could disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal information concerning individuals associated with the grant applications, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Name of Committee: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Initial Review Group Function, Integration, and Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section. Date: March 17–18, 2025. Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications. Address: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is issuing this Notice to provide an update on responses to the Community Disaster Resilience Zones and the National Risk Index request for information and share FEMA’s initial designations of census tracts as Community Disaster Resilience Zones. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha A. Medlock, Assistant Administrator for Resilience Strategy, Federal Emergency Management Agency, fema-actionoffice-resiliencestrategy@fema.dhs.gov, 202–212–8007. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: I. Background A. Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act The Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022, Public Law 117–255, 136 Stat. 2363, amended title II of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) (Stafford Act) to add a new section 206 (42 U.S.C. 5136) that requires the: (1) maintenance of a natural hazard assessment program and E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM 03DEN1 95802 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2024 / Notices development and maintenance of products for the public’s use that show the risk of natural hazards through use of risk ratings at the census tract level; and (2) designation, at the census tract level, of community disaster resilience zones based on the natural hazard risk ratings derived from a natural hazard risk product maintained by the natural hazard assessment program. Section 206 also provides FEMA the discretion to: (1) increase the Federal cost share to not more than 90 percent under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program for mitigation projects within, or primarily benefiting, a community disaster resilience zone; (2) provide financial and technical assistance to State, local, Tribal, and Territorial governments for project planning assistance to carry out activities in preparation for a mitigation project within, or primarily benefiting, a community disaster resilience zone; and (3) establish a process for FEMA certification, and provide certification for mitigation projects within, or primarily benefiting, a community disaster resilience zone. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 B. National Risk Index The National Risk Index is a publicly available dataset and online mapping application that identifies the U.S. communities most at risk for 18 different natural hazards. The 18 hazard types evaluated by the National Risk Index were chosen after reviewing FEMA-approved State Hazard Mitigation Plans for all 50 States in early 2016.1 FEMA announced the availability of the National Risk Index with limited access to data in November 2020 and released a full web application, which enhanced the data and report functionality, on August 16, 2021.2 The National Risk Index data and application was last updated on March 23, 2023. The National Risk Index application visualizes natural hazard risk metrics and includes important data about expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.3 The data are derived from 1 More information about data availability can be found in FEMA’s National Risk Index Technical Documentation. FEMA, National Risk Index, Technical Documentation, Chapters 5–1 to 5–2 (March 2023), https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/ files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_ technical-documentation.pdf (last visited Sept. 9, 2024). 2 FEMA, National Risk Index for Natural Hazards, https://www.fema.gov/nri (last visited Sept. 10, 2024). 3 More information about these risk components can be found in FEMA’s National Risk Index Technical Documentation (March 2023), https:// VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:09 Dec 02, 2024 Jkt 265001 probabilistic data sources or built from historic event and historic loss information and are aggregated to the county and census tract levels, thus providing a baseline risk assessment and natural hazard risk profiles. In addition to Federal collaborators, the National Risk Index incorporates data from a wide range of relevant sources across the country to ensure the tool’s robustness.4 This includes more than 90 partners across the public and private sectors, including State, regional, and local government agencies; academia; private organizations; and nonprofits. While natural hazard occurrences can induce secondary natural hazard occurrences, only primary natural hazard occurrences (and not their results or after-effects) are considered in the National Risk Index. Currently, the National Risk Index does not account for future conditions or anticipated impacts due to climate change. With current National Risk Index information, users can discover a holistic view of their community’s baseline and current risk from natural hazards via online maps and data downloads. Potential users might be planners and emergency managers at the State, local, Tribal, Territorial, and Federal levels; as well as other decision makers, private sector entities, and interested members of the public. The interactive mapping application can help decision makers better prepare for and mitigate natural hazard events by providing standardized risk data for planning and an overview of multiple risk factors. In turn, this data can help State, local, Tribal, or Territorial governments develop FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans, required to apply for and/or receive certain FEMA assistance and mitigation grants. More importantly, use of this data can help all users plan for disasters and increase resilience. The National Risk Index is different from other traditional hazard data and models because of the scope and scale of its analyses. For communities that do not have access to natural hazard risk assessment services, the National Risk Index is a valuable product because it uses authoritative data from a variety of www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_ national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf; FEMA, Data Glossary, https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/ data-glossary (last visited May 29, 2024). 4 More information on the review and selection process for data used in the National Risk Index is available in the Technical Documentation. See FEMA, National Risk Index, Technical Documentation, 2–4 to 2–6 (March 2023), https:// www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_ national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf (last visited Sept. 8, 2024). PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Federal, State, local, academic, nonprofit, and private sector partners and contributors,5 and it provides users analysis of their risk to a natural hazard. The National Risk Index leverages bestavailable source data and methods to provide a holistic view of the current and baseline community-level risk nationwide by combining multiple hazards with socioeconomic and built environment factors. FEMA publishes and maintains a publicly available National Risk Indexspecific technical document to highlight the National Risk Index research and methodologies for developing all components of the tool.6 Previously released National Risk Index data versions, documentation, and data updates documentation are available through the National Risk Index Data Archive. II. Request for Information On May 26, 2023, FEMA issued a notice and request for information to seek input from the public on implementation of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022. This included updates to the methodology and data used for the National Risk Index and any other hazard assessment products; potential improvements to FEMA’s provision of hazard data; the process used to designate community disaster resilience zones; financial and technical assistance for resilience or mitigation projects in or primarily benefitting community disaster resilience zones; and the community disaster resilience zone project application and certification process.7 This request for information closed for comments on July 25, 2023, during which time FEMA received responses from over 100 commentors.8 The request for information responses indicated six themes: designation methodology, post-designation support, community engagement, data and the National Risk Index, equity, and community displacement. FEMA has summarized the comments and developed summary responses based on the general themes noted above. Comments and responses may be 5 FEMA, Risk Index Contributors, https:// hazards.fema.gov/nri/contributors (last visited May 29, 2024). 6 FEMA, National Risk Index, Technical Documentation (March 2023), https:// www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_ national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf (last visited Sept. 19, 2024). 7 88 FR 34171 (May 26, 2023). 8 The comments received on the request for information may be found in the docket, available on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov/docket/FEMA-2023-0009. E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM 03DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2024 / Notices found at https://www.fema.gov/factsheet/summary-request-informationimplementation-community-disasterresilience-zones. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency III. List of Community Disaster Resilience Zones [Docket ID: FEMA–2024–0021; OMB No. 1660–0144] On September 6, 2023, FEMA announced the designation of an initial set of 483 community disaster resilience zones across the United States.9 To identify resilience zones, FEMA used components of the National Risk Index to identify the census tracts most at-risk and in-need. FEMA is currently working on additional designations and plans to announce them soon. These designations will help build resilience across the nation by driving Federal, public, and private resources to these designated zones. FEMA also used the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, a geospatial platform that identifies areas across the nation that face especially acute climate and other resilience burdens, to help focus the designations on disadvantaged communities.10 A map of the census tracts that were designated as community disaster resilience zones on September 6, 2023, can be found at https://www.fema.gov/ partnerships/community-disasterresilience-zones. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency. [FR Doc. 2024–28015 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 BILLING CODE 9111–12–P 9 FEMA, FEMA Designates First Communities to Receive Targeted Assistance for Hazards Resilience (Sept. 6, 2023), https://www.fema.gov/press-release/ 20230906/fema-designates-first-communitiesreceive-targeted-assistance-hazards (last visited Sept. 10, 2024). 10 Council on Environmental Quality, Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, https:// screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/ (last visited May 29, 2024). VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:09 Dec 02, 2024 Jkt 265001 Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request; Individual & Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) Application Form Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: 30-Day notice of extension and request for comments. AGENCY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. FEMA invites the general public to take this opportunity to comment on an extension, without change, of a currently approved information collection information collection. In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning this collection allowing potential candidates to apply for FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 2, 2025. ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection should be made to Director, Information Management Division, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472, email address FEMA-Information-CollectionsManagement@fema.dhs.gov or Shanna Scherbinske, Emergency Management Specialist, Individual and Community Preparedness Division, 202–286–3052, and Shanna.Scherbinske@fema.dhs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEMA Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) was formed to bring together youth leaders from across the country SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 95803 who are highly interested and engaged in advocating youth preparedness and making a difference in their communities. This collection meets the requirements of 6 U.S.C. 742, National Preparedness, and Presidential Policy Directive—8 (PPD–8) which emphasize the need for involvement from all sectors of society in preparing for and responding to threats and hazards. This application form is used to select interested council members based on dedication to public service, efforts in making a difference in their community, and potential for expanding their impact as a national advocate for youth preparedness. Council members’ involvement and activities align with goals 5.2 and 5.3 from the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). Members are expected to represent the youth perspective on emergency preparedness and take information back to their communities to share. Council members are expected to develop and complete preparedness-related projects. Youth apply using personal identifiable demographic and contact information, which FEMA retains confidentially for the purposes of providing acceptance/denial responses to applicants and determining a representative sample of applicants. Letters of recommendation and academic records are required, while supplemental materials highlighting past achievements are encouraged. This proposed information collection previously published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2024, at 89 FR 57923 with a 60-day public comment period. FEMA received no public comments. The purpose of this notice is to notify the public that FEMA will submit the information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance. Collection of Information Title: Individual & Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) Annual Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) Application Form. Type of Information Collection: Extension, without change, of a currently approved information collection. OMB Number: 1660–0144. FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF–008– FY–21–111 (formerly 008–0–0–24), FEMA Youth Preparedness Council Application. Abstract: The FEMA Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) was formed to bring together youth leaders from across the country who are highly interested and engaged in advocating E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM 03DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95801-95803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28015]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2023-0009]


Community Disaster Resilience Zones and the National Risk Index

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is issuing this 
Notice to provide an update on responses to the Community Disaster 
Resilience Zones and the National Risk Index request for information 
and share FEMA's initial designations of census tracts as Community 
Disaster Resilience Zones.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha A. Medlock, Assistant 
Administrator for Resilience Strategy, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, [email protected], 202-212-
8007.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

A. Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act

    The Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022, Public Law 
117-255, 136 Stat. 2363, amended title II of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) 
(Stafford Act) to add a new section 206 (42 U.S.C. 5136) that requires 
the: (1) maintenance of a natural hazard assessment program and

[[Page 95802]]

development and maintenance of products for the public's use that show 
the risk of natural hazards through use of risk ratings at the census 
tract level; and (2) designation, at the census tract level, of 
community disaster resilience zones based on the natural hazard risk 
ratings derived from a natural hazard risk product maintained by the 
natural hazard assessment program.
    Section 206 also provides FEMA the discretion to: (1) increase the 
Federal cost share to not more than 90 percent under the Building 
Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program for mitigation 
projects within, or primarily benefiting, a community disaster 
resilience zone; (2) provide financial and technical assistance to 
State, local, Tribal, and Territorial governments for project planning 
assistance to carry out activities in preparation for a mitigation 
project within, or primarily benefiting, a community disaster 
resilience zone; and (3) establish a process for FEMA certification, 
and provide certification for mitigation projects within, or primarily 
benefiting, a community disaster resilience zone.

B. National Risk Index

    The National Risk Index is a publicly available dataset and online 
mapping application that identifies the U.S. communities most at risk 
for 18 different natural hazards. The 18 hazard types evaluated by the 
National Risk Index were chosen after reviewing FEMA-approved State 
Hazard Mitigation Plans for all 50 States in early 2016.\1\ FEMA 
announced the availability of the National Risk Index with limited 
access to data in November 2020 and released a full web application, 
which enhanced the data and report functionality, on August 16, 
2021.\2\ The National Risk Index data and application was last updated 
on March 23, 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ More information about data availability can be found in 
FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation. FEMA, National 
Risk Index, Technical Documentation, Chapters 5-1 to 5-2 (March 
2023), https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf (last visited 
Sept. 9, 2024).
    \2\ FEMA, National Risk Index for Natural Hazards, https://www.fema.gov/nri (last visited Sept. 10, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The National Risk Index application visualizes natural hazard risk 
metrics and includes important data about expected annual loss, social 
vulnerability, and community resilience.\3\ The data are derived from 
probabilistic data sources or built from historic event and historic 
loss information and are aggregated to the county and census tract 
levels, thus providing a baseline risk assessment and natural hazard 
risk profiles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ More information about these risk components can be found in 
FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation (March 2023), 
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf; FEMA, Data Glossary, https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/data-glossary (last visited May 29, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to Federal collaborators, the National Risk Index 
incorporates data from a wide range of relevant sources across the 
country to ensure the tool's robustness.\4\ This includes more than 90 
partners across the public and private sectors, including State, 
regional, and local government agencies; academia; private 
organizations; and nonprofits. While natural hazard occurrences can 
induce secondary natural hazard occurrences, only primary natural 
hazard occurrences (and not their results or after-effects) are 
considered in the National Risk Index. Currently, the National Risk 
Index does not account for future conditions or anticipated impacts due 
to climate change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ More information on the review and selection process for 
data used in the National Risk Index is available in the Technical 
Documentation. See FEMA, National Risk Index, Technical 
Documentation, 2-4 to 2-6 (March 2023), https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf (last visited Sept. 8, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With current National Risk Index information, users can discover a 
holistic view of their community's baseline and current risk from 
natural hazards via online maps and data downloads. Potential users 
might be planners and emergency managers at the State, local, Tribal, 
Territorial, and Federal levels; as well as other decision makers, 
private sector entities, and interested members of the public.
    The interactive mapping application can help decision makers better 
prepare for and mitigate natural hazard events by providing 
standardized risk data for planning and an overview of multiple risk 
factors. In turn, this data can help State, local, Tribal, or 
Territorial governments develop FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans, 
required to apply for and/or receive certain FEMA assistance and 
mitigation grants. More importantly, use of this data can help all 
users plan for disasters and increase resilience.
    The National Risk Index is different from other traditional hazard 
data and models because of the scope and scale of its analyses. For 
communities that do not have access to natural hazard risk assessment 
services, the National Risk Index is a valuable product because it uses 
authoritative data from a variety of Federal, State, local, academic, 
non-profit, and private sector partners and contributors,\5\ and it 
provides users analysis of their risk to a natural hazard. The National 
Risk Index leverages best-available source data and methods to provide 
a holistic view of the current and baseline community-level risk 
nationwide by combining multiple hazards with socioeconomic and built 
environment factors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ FEMA, Risk Index Contributors, https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/contributors (last visited May 29, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FEMA publishes and maintains a publicly available National Risk 
Index-specific technical document to highlight the National Risk Index 
research and methodologies for developing all components of the 
tool.\6\ Previously released National Risk Index data versions, 
documentation, and data updates documentation are available through the 
National Risk Index Data Archive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ FEMA, National Risk Index, Technical Documentation (March 
2023), https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf (last visited 
Sept. 19, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Request for Information

    On May 26, 2023, FEMA issued a notice and request for information 
to seek input from the public on implementation of the Community 
Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022. This included updates to the 
methodology and data used for the National Risk Index and any other 
hazard assessment products; potential improvements to FEMA's provision 
of hazard data; the process used to designate community disaster 
resilience zones; financial and technical assistance for resilience or 
mitigation projects in or primarily benefitting community disaster 
resilience zones; and the community disaster resilience zone project 
application and certification process.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ 88 FR 34171 (May 26, 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This request for information closed for comments on July 25, 2023, 
during which time FEMA received responses from over 100 commentors.\8\ 
The request for information responses indicated six themes: designation 
methodology, post-designation support, community engagement, data and 
the National Risk Index, equity, and community displacement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ The comments received on the request for information may be 
found in the docket, available on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FEMA-2023-0009.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FEMA has summarized the comments and developed summary responses 
based on the general themes noted above. Comments and responses may be

[[Page 95803]]

found at https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/summary-request-information-implementation-community-disaster-resilience-zones.

III. List of Community Disaster Resilience Zones

    On September 6, 2023, FEMA announced the designation of an initial 
set of 483 community disaster resilience zones across the United 
States.\9\ To identify resilience zones, FEMA used components of the 
National Risk Index to identify the census tracts most at-risk and in-
need. FEMA is currently working on additional designations and plans to 
announce them soon. These designations will help build resilience 
across the nation by driving Federal, public, and private resources to 
these designated zones.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ FEMA, FEMA Designates First Communities to Receive Targeted 
Assistance for Hazards Resilience (Sept. 6, 2023), https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230906/fema-designates-first-communities-receive-targeted-assistance-hazards (last visited Sept. 
10, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FEMA also used the White House Council on Environmental Quality's 
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, a geospatial platform that 
identifies areas across the nation that face especially acute climate 
and other resilience burdens, to help focus the designations on 
disadvantaged communities.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ Council on Environmental Quality, Climate and Economic 
Justice Screening Tool, https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/ 
(last visited May 29, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A map of the census tracts that were designated as community 
disaster resilience zones on September 6, 2023, can be found at https://www.fema.gov/partnerships/community-disaster-resilience-zones.

Deanne Criswell,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2024-28015 Filed 12-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-12-P
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