The U.S. Small Business Administration is making low-interest disaster loans available to residents and businesses in Shoshone County following two separate disaster declarations covering North Idaho windstorm damage and a statewide drought emergency.

The loans stem from the major disaster declaration President Donald Trump approved for North Idaho counties hit by December windstorms, which produced gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour and caused an estimated $5.9 million in damage across affected areas. Shoshone County and Idaho County are both eligible for physical damage loans.

What’s Available and Who Qualifies

The SBA is offering fixed-rate, low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits in Idaho and Shoshone counties. Homeowners can borrow up to $500,000 to repair or replace a damaged primary residence, and up to $100,000 for personal property. Businesses and nonprofits can receive up to $2 million for damaged assets.

The deadline to apply for physical disaster loans is August 7, 2026.

A second category of loans, called Economic Injury Disaster Loans, is also available across a broader set of Idaho counties following Governor Brad Little’s April drought declaration. These loans are aimed at small businesses, private nonprofits, and small agricultural cooperatives that have suffered economic harm even without direct physical damage to their property.

SBA disaster recovery spokesperson Natalie Butz noted that economic injury loans are often overlooked. “Those are our most underutilized portion of our program, because it’s very easy for survivors to understand when they have sustained physical damages as a result of the disaster,” she said. The agency typically advises businesses that full economic consequences from a disaster can take six to nine months to materialize, which is why the application windows for economic injury loans stretch further out.

Drought Loans Cover 16 Counties

Economic Injury Disaster Loans tied to the drought declaration are open to eligible applicants in 16 counties: Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Butte, Camas, Cassia, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, Idaho, and Shoshone.

Most of those 14 non-overlap counties have an application deadline of January 19, 2027. Idaho County and Shoshone County applicants, who are covered under both disaster declarations, have until March 8, 2027 to apply for economic injury loans.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted through the SBA’s online portal at sba.gov. The agency encourages residents and business owners to apply even if they are uncertain about the extent of their losses, noting that applicants can withdraw or adjust loan amounts later.

For Shoshone County residents dealing with the aftermath of the December storms, this program represents a concrete path toward recovery. Businesses uncertain about long-term revenue impacts from either disaster are encouraged to consider the economic injury option well before those extended deadlines arrive.

Business owners across North Idaho navigating federal relief programs should also be aware of other federal policy shifts affecting the region. New SNAP work requirements now in effect are among the changes rolling out under current federal policy that may affect household budgets and workforce decisions in rural communities.