EMA tells Montpelier SBA disaster loans are open and hazard plan adoption is needed
From the Montpelier Common Council meeting on 2026-09-15
Blackford County Emergency Management Agency Director Jason Withers told Montpelier officials Tuesday that county businesses and homeowners can pursue SBA low-interest disaster loans after the county was included as a contiguous county in the Aug. 11 flooding response.
Withers said Blackford County was not named as a primary disaster county, but contiguous status still opens access to SBA assistance through lending.sba.gov. He said federal outreach to chambers of commerce and local businesses was expected to begin Wednesday.
Withers also asked Montpelier to prepare to adopt Blackford County's updated multi-hazard mitigation plan. He described it as a five-year plan covering readiness, preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. He said the plan is with the state now and that Montpelier already flagged city-specific conflicts in the draft.
According to Withers, Blackford County currently has access to zero mitigation funding because the plan should have been updated in 2023 and was not kept current. He said recent flooding added four more mitigation items, bringing the county total to roughly 30.
Source: Meeting transcript — Montpelier Common Council Meeting September 15, 2026
Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.
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