[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]
BILLING CODE 9110-13-P