Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Tuesday, January 14th. Today on Forbes, how LA

small businesses can get $2 million in help, even if they weren't burned. Last Tuesday

morning, the first of the wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los

Angeles, tearing through dry brush in the Santa Monicaisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, tearing through dry brush

in the Santa Monica Mountains.

As of Sunday, the Palisades fire was still spreading, and four major blazes had burned

nearly 40,000 acres in the L.A. area, taking at least 24 lives, destroying or damaging more

than 12,000 structures and causing economic damages

now estimated at up to $150 billion.

The Palisades, with its canyon and ocean views, was known for its high-end houses,

ranging from sleek modern designs to classic California-Spanish-style estates. Another devastated neighborhood,

Altadena, 35 miles to the east, had some more modest homes that families had owned for generations.

But the fire hasn't just cost lives and leveled housing. It's also taken out thousands of shops and

restaurants and damaged the business prospects

of those still standing. In the Palisades' 90272 zip code alone, there were more than 1,000

businesses before the fire. Across Southern California, business owners, and particularly

those dependent on local customers, now face the tough decision

about whether to rebuild and reopen, gambling that demand will recover quickly enough to make it

worth the risk.

Some restaurants destroyed by the fires are already looking for community support to rebuild.

Foxes, a diner in Altadena with roots stretching back to 1955, and the Real Inn, a casual

seafood spot in Malibu, are among those that have started GoFundMe campaigns to help their

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