Generic 1-Pager 0710-0016

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Hurricane Evacuation Behavioral Survey” (OMB Control Number: 0710-0016)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

The Human Element: Warning and Evacuation during the Oroville Dam Emergency

PURPOSE:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Risk Management Center seeks to conduct a study about the public warnings issued during February’s Oroville Dam incident. The purpose of the research is to collect scientific data about:

• The public warnings that were issued,

• When and how those warnings reached the affected audience, and

• The protective actions taken by people advised to evacuate.

The findings from this research will advance knowledge about public warning processes and response. They will help improve how future public warnings and evacuations for any hazard are implemented. The data collected will also be used by USACE to update evacuation time estimates in communities throughout the nation in proximity to the dams and levees they operate.

This research will not evaluate the decisions or actions of any agency or official regarding the Oroville Dam warnings and evacuation. Rather, it will collect data to improve warning and evacuation time estimates for any type of community emergency. The Oroville Dam incident was selected for study because it was a unique event that holds the potential to push the frontiers of warning and evacuation knowledge forward.

USACE assists state and local partners by performing risk assessment for dams and levees, and collaboratively identifying potential risk reduction opportunities. The information gathered from this study will not only improve our understanding of life safety risk downstream of dams and levees, but also better inform out measures such as warning and evacuation planning can that can reduce risk.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The study will be conducted on a random sample of approximately 600 households in threatened areas downstream from Oroville dam, including the communities of Oroville, Yuba City, and Marysville. This approach will enable us to generalize findings from the people who participate in the study to the entire population of people advised to evacuate.

TYPE OF COLLECTION:

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Mailed public questionnaire

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Certifiers Name: Jason Needham

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

GIFTS OR PAYMENTS:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [] Yes [ x] No

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Mail-in questionnaire	600	15 min.	150 hrs
Totals	600	15 min.	150 hrs

FEDERAL COST:

Number of initial letters (surveys) being mailed: 3200

Number of follow-up post cards: 2800

Number of final letters (surveys): 2600

Postage for all mailings: ~$8,000 (depends on a number of factors and number of responses from first mailing.)

Database development and processing: $55,000

The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $63,000.

THE SELECTION OF YOUR TARGETED RESPONDENTS:

Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

The potential respondent universe will consist of residents living in communities advised to evacuate on February 12, 2017 downstream of the Oroville Dam, California. This includes residents in the following jurisdictions: Oroville, Marysville, Hallwood, Olivehurst, Linda, Plumas Lake, Biggs, Gridley City, Live Oak, Yuba City and Wheatland located in Butte, Yuba and Sutter Counties. The local emergency managers will provide details on the areas asked to evacuate.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE INSTRUMENT:

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[X] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

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