LOS ANGELES (TNND) — City leaders promised, the day before the two-month mark since the devastating wildfires erupted, that they would rebuild communities in the Los Angeles area at "lightning speed."

Residents have been working to rebuild their homes and community after wildfires burned down the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in January.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass provided an update on Thursday about ongoing recovery efforts.

"This has been a challenging time for so many families. The grief and despair continues, and that's why I'm committed to rebuilding this community at lightning speed," Bass announced.

She shared the progress that's being made to expedite the rebuilding process to get Palisadians back home.

"As of tomorrow [Friday], the Do Not Drink order will be lifted for all standing structures in the Palisades and just to give you a comparison, in the tragic Camp Fire, it took 18 months. It was done here in two," Bass pointed out.

Los Angekels Department of Water and Power said water continued to be tested daily for safe drinking use. But caution remained in the Pacific Palisades area.

On Wednesday, Bass announced that residents in the Palisades can obtain original building plans of their affected homes.

"At the request of the Mayor's Office, Governor Gavin Newsom recently issued an Executive Order that suspended the state law that required City of Los Angeles officials to seek the consent of the person who designed a building plan (or, often, the designer's heirs or those who otherwise acquired the rights to the plans) before releasing it to the building owner," Bass' office wrote in a statement.

Bass' leadership of the fire response and recovery has been under intense scrutiny. Bass previously admitted that she went on a diplomatic trip to Ghana days before the fires erupted despite the warnings about severe wind and fire-danger conditions. It appeared at Thursday's news conference she tried to reset the narrative.

"Last month we restored power. This month we restored water. Two months ago, the entire world watched as LA's heroes, our firefighters, police officers and first responders fought tirelessly to protect our city. And two months since, we have launched the largest disaster recovery operation in the history of the city of Los Angeles," she told reporters.

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help the Los Angeles area recover from January's devastating wildfires.

Newsom sent a letter Friday asking for support from lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the House Appropriations Committee chair.

"Los Angeles is one of the most economically productive places on the globe, but it can only rebound and flourish with support from the federal government as it recovers from this unprecedented disaster," Newsom wrote.

Estimates of the total economic loss from the firestorm have been estimated to surpass $250 billion — with real estate losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires predicted to potentially top $30 billion, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. More than 16,200 structures were destroyed as flames ripped through Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena and Altadena.

Newsom vowed that the funding would be used to rebuild homes, infrastructure, businesses, schools, churches and health care facilities, while supporting the needs of people affected by the devastation.

"Make no mistake, Los Angeles will use this money wisely," Newsom wrote.

Editor's Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.