Houghton County Added to the SBA’s Drought Impacted Areas

The State of Michigan urges congressional leaders, SBA, and FEMA to create new paths for federal relief for communities impacted by the winter’s lack of snowfall. Last Thursday the Governor’s office announced it has urged leaders in Congress, the Small Business Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create access to federal funds for additional areas that were impacted by the winter’s drought.

In March the SBA announced access to relief funds for 42 counties between the upper and lower peninsulas. Houghton County was recently added to the list of counties that can work with the SBA to source funding. The drought declaration will cover impacts felt after February 20th, 2024 for the area.

Businesses in Houghton County seeking to submit for drought declaration relief will have a deadline ending December 26th, 2024. Houghton County Administrator Ben Larson says that the county is working with the Small Business Administration to set up a meeting where business owners can learn about the application process. Larson adds that he does not have a date set quite yet, however, he hopes to have more information for the community shortly.

We hope to bring you more information on the county’s plans to work with the SBA as details become available.