§ 9702 — National Integrated Flood Information System

(a) The Administrator shall establish a system, to be known as the “National Integrated Flood Information System”, to better inform and provide for more timely decision making to reduce flood-related effects and costs. (b) The Administrator, through the National Integrated Flood Information System, shall— (1) provide an effective flood early warning system that— (A) collects and integrates information on the key indicators of floods and flood impacts, including streamflow, reservoir release and diversion, precipitation, soil moisture, snow water equivalent, land cover, and evaporative demand; (B) makes usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of floods; (C) assesses the severity of flood conditions and effects; (D) provides information described in subparagraph (A), forecasts described in subparagraph (B), and assessments described in subparagraph (C) at the national, regional, and local levels, as appropriate; and (E) communicates flood forecasts, flood conditions, and flood impacts to appropriate entities engaged in flood planning, preparedness, and response and post-event flood extent, including— (i) decision makers at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels of government; and (ii) the public; (2) provide timely data, information, and products that reflect differences in flood conditions among localities, regions, watersheds, and States; (3) coordinate and integrate, through interagency agreements as practicable, Federal research and monitoring in support of the flood early warning information system provided under paragraph (1); (4) use existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships; (5) make improvements in seasonal precipitation and temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and flood water prediction; and (6) continue ongoing research and monitoring activities relating to floods, including research activities relating to— (A) the prediction, length, severity, and impacts of floods and improvement of the accuracy, timing, and specificity of flash flood warnings; (B) the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in floods; and (C) how water travels over and through surfaces. (c) The Administrator, through the National Integrated Flood Information System, may— (1) engage with the private sector to improve flood monitoring, forecasts, land and topography data, and communication, if the Administrator determines that such engagement is appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial to the public and decision makers described in subsection (b)(1)(E)(i); (2) facilitate the development of 1 or more academic cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the functions of the National Integrated Flood Information System described in subsection (b); (3) use and support monitoring by citizen scientists, including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum data integration, as the Administrator considers appropriate; (4) engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in existence as of December 27, 2022, such as the National Weather Service with respect to forecast and warning functions, the National Integrated Drought Information System, the Regional Climate Center, and the National Mesonet Program, to improve coordination of water monitoring, forecasting, and management; and (5) engage with and support water monitoring by the United States Geological Survey— (A) to improve the availability and continuity of streamflow data at critical locations through the deployment of rapid deployment gages and the flood-hardening of at-risk streamflow gauges; and (B) to increase storm surge monitoring data through the deployment of additional storm surge sensors. (d) In developing and maintaining the National Integrated Flood Information System, the Administrator shall consult with relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector. (e) Each Federal agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the Administrator in carrying out this section.