Supporting Statement B 1601-NEW Disaster Recovery Survey

Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Describe the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection methods to be used.

The survey instruments will be distributed at business recovery workshops held at a local venue shortly following a disaster. The pool of respondents will be limited to those businesses which were directly or indirectly affected, negatively or positively, by the disaster. Businesses will be encouraged to complete the survey at their leisure during the course of the workshop activities, which could take several hours. Time constraints are not expected to be a factor in limiting response rates. Based on survey responses obtained at the recovery workshops following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, PSO expects 40% of all workshop attendees to both represent a unique business and complete a survey, with a majority of those respondents being small businesses with less than ten employees.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information.

Data will be collected at a local government sponsored business recovery workshop following a disaster. Blank survey instruments will be made available for attendees to pick-up, complete, and submit. Because businesses will be able to complete the survey unattended, very few labor resources will be required to administer and collect the survey.

The follow-up telephone survey will be conducted several months following the administration of the written survey. Respondents will be contacted using the telephone numbers they provide on the written survey instrument.

3. Describe methods to maximize response rate and to deal with issues of non-response.

Maximum response rates will be encouraged by limiting the length of the survey to one sheet of paper and by providing necessary materials such as writing instruments and surfaces. Survey questions were designed so that respondents would be able to answer them quickly and easily using knowledge readily available. PSO will remind attendees about the survey several times throughout the workshop, and also walk through the audience to collect completed responses.

Based on prior experiences following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, PSO expects the atmosphere at the workshops to be somewhat chaotic. Because the population of attendees of the workshop is itself a convenience sample of the larger business community, PSO sees no benefit in concentrating on achieving a census of that group at the potential expense of compromising the quality and integrity of responses received. Because PSO is not seeking a probability sample, it does not plan to address issues of non-response aside from noting them along with the results.

The follow-up telephone survey will be limited to a small number of questions in order to encourage high participation rates.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.

Due to the simple nature of the administration of the written survey, PSO does not expect any tests of the procedure will be needed.

PSO will train individuals to conduct the telephone follow-up portion of the survey by conducting in-house mock interviews. During these test interviews, PSO will work to identify potential communication problems and develop optimal methods for interviewers to word each question in an oral context. Interviewers will also have the opportunity to determine which method will be most convenient for them to ask questions while simultaneously recording responses, whether it is by using a computer keyboard or pen and paper. In the case of target interviewees not being available to participate, procedures for leaving messages and/or call back numbers will need to be finalized at the time the interviews are to take place.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

Gary Becker, Senior Economist, DHS, PSO

202-282-9013

Samuel Lee, Economist, RTI International, Contractor for DHS, PSO

202-282-9761

OMB 83‑I (10/95)