Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 22 November 2023

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

Holiday Notice

Some members of the team will be taking time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and as such, our reporting will not follow the usual pattern this week. The FB-ISAO Daily Awareness Post (DAP) will return next week. As always, the team will continue to monitor the threat landscape and will issue alerts / bulletins if necessary.

As always, FB-ISAO members are sharing additional information on the Israel-Hamas Conflict, as well as information about threats, domestic protests, and security coordination activities in FB-ISAO Slack. Join here.

Happy Thanksgiving to all that utilize the DAP and thank you for your interest.

Extra Vigilance Recommended During Holiday Season

Thanksgiving begins the season of Faith-Based and secular holidays.

The following items indicate that extra vigilance is needed.

• Escalating violence in Gaza increasing chatter of possible terror attack in New York, intelligence report says
• Sacramento Police, FBI investigating bomb threat mentioning Run to Feed the Hungry
• Shut It Down for Palestine shakes the country — next step: Black Friday

Analyst Comments:

Everyone should consider increasing their personal situational awareness while shopping and attending mass gatherings, especially in open, unsecured areas.

Some resources to consider are:

• CISA’s Personal Security Considerations fact sheet.
• CISA’s Security of Soft Targets and Crowded Places-Resources Guide

Houses of worship tend to have increased attendance during holidays. Faith-Based Organizations should consider reviewing:

• CISA’s: Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship – Security Guide (cisa.gov)
• CISA’s: Protecting Places of Worship: Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence (cisa.gov)
• The DHS Resources and Information for Faith and Community Leaders Regarding the Israel – Hamas Conflict

For more routine safety tips, see FEMA’s 5 Tips to Gobble Up for a Safe Thanksgiving

Also be aware of weather conditions when traveling. Today’s forecast from the National Weather Service is Storm Bringing Wintry Mix to Interior New England Today; Heavy Snow in the Northern Rockies on Thanksgiving. Also see NOAA’s Thanksgiving weekend: A chill in the air for most, snow in the West; Eastern U.S. storm to impact travel ahead of holiday. 

Weather conditions can continue to be monitored at the National Weather Service and Weather | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

As always, useful material can be found at the FB-ISAO Resource Library.

Faith-Based ISAO wished everyone safe and happy holidays.