The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is considering a request to the federal Small Business Administration for a declaration of economic injury from this summer’s BWCA fire closure. The declaration would make available to affected businesses special Economic Injury Disaster Loans. 

To assess the need for an SBA disaster declaration, DEED needs affected businesses to complete an “Estimated Disaster Economic Injury Worksheet for Businesses.”  Attached to this article as a PDF.

If you own a Cook County business that suffered significant loss because of the BWCA closure, you are strongly encouraged to fill out the attached loss worksheet and submit it to DEED. The completed worksheet should be sent to: