Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 10 September 2025

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. 

Trump suggests more US cities need National Guard, but crime stats tell a different story

President Trump has proposed deploying the National Guard to several major U.S. cities including Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco, and Portland, to respond to what he describes as raging crime. However, data shows that most violent crime has been on a steady decline in these places in recent years. For example, homicides in the first half of 2025 are significantly down compared to the same period in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic drop nationwide. Aggravated assaults and nonfatal shootings are also down in many of the mentioned cities; rape reports are up in a few, while most saw decreases or stable rates. Property crimes like theft, burglary and car theft are mostly falling in those cities too.

Public opinion remains in opposition of the increased Federal presence. While 81% of Americans say crime is a major issue in big cities, few support federal control of policing. Local officials argue that long‐term community and social services solutions, mentorships, jobs, and youth support are what’s driving crime reductions, and many view the idea of sending in the Guard as impractical, unsustainable, or constitutionally problematic. 

Analyst Comments: While violent crime in major U.S. cities has been steadily declining, fear of crime remains a potent political issue. The contrast suggests a narrative strategy: framing cities as unsafe reinforces a “law and order” message, regardless of statistics. The National Guard is trained for emergencies and disaster response, not for long-term urban policing. Such a move risks straining military resources, raising constitutional questions about federal versus local control of law enforcement, and potentially inflaming community distrust. The data also underscores the effectiveness of community-based strategies mentorship programs, employment initiatives, and local social services over militarized approaches. Policymakers and security analysts should note that perception of crime, amplified by media and politics, often diverges from reality, which can shape public opinion and drive policy proposals not rooted in actual trends.

House spending bill would reauthorize key cybersecurity programs

Congress is moving to reauthorize two cybersecurity programs that are set to expire at the end of September, by including their renewal in a stopgap (temporary) government funding bill. The two programs are:

1. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act 2015 (CISA 2015) – which encourages businesses and government to share information about cyber threats, helping to improve national awareness and response to cyberattacks.
2. The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program – which provides funding to states and municipalities to improve their cyber defense postures.

Support for these renewals is broad: industry experts, trade groups (including in finance, energy, and tech), and local governments agree they’re vital. Without legal protections and funding, businesses may be more reluctant to share threat data, and under-resourced local jurisdictions could be exposed to sophisticated attacks. While there is momentum in the House debates remain over how large the funding for the grant program should be and whether the Senate versions will match or diverge. A risk is that without timely reauthorization, both programs will lapse on September 30. That could stall progress on cyber resilience efforts at both national and local levels.

Analyst Comments: The push to reauthorize CISA and the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program reflects the increasing recognition that cyber resilience depends on both federal coordination and local capacity. Information sharing frameworks are critical for real-time situational awareness across industries, but their effectiveness relies heavily on trust. The liability protections built into CISA lower the risk for private sector partners, making renewal strategically important for sustaining cooperation.

The grant program, meanwhile, addresses one of the most persistent weak links in national cyber defense: underfunded state and local governments. Many municipal agencies operate with outdated infrastructure and limited security staff, making them attractive targets for ransomware and nation-state actors. Renewed funding provides a lifeline, but debate over the scale signals a continuing mismatch between the scope of threats and available resources.

On Friday, the Senate is expected to vote on competing continuing resolutions, with neither likely to receive the 60 vote threshold.

Warming atmosphere fueling heavier U.S. rainfall and rising flood risk, AccuWeather analysis shows

AccuWeather’s analysis of over 60 years of U.S. rainfall data shows that while total annual precipitation hasn’t changed significantly across the country, intense rainfall events have increased sharply. Periods of heavy downpours especially short bursts with 2–4-inch amounts and hourly extremes are more frequent. Days with rainfall of at least three-quarters of an inch are up about 10% over the past 30 years; daily events of 4 inches or more have roughly doubled since the 1960s; and hours with rainfall at or above an inch are about three times more common than in 1950. These shifts heighten flood risk, particularly in areas where infrastructure storm drains, culverts, drainage systems are outdated or isn’t built to handle such high-intensity rainfall. Agricultural sectors are also affected, with extreme rainfall disrupting planting, damaging soil, and increasing variability year to year. The analysis warns that planning based only on average annual rainfall underestimates current risks and calls for communities to design infrastructure and land use that can cope with more volatile, intense rainfall.

Analyst Comments: The AccuWeather findings highlight a shift that average annual rainfall no longer tells the full story of flood risk. Instead, the growing frequency of short, high-intensity downpours is what is stressing infrastructure, agriculture, and emergency management systems. This aligns with broader climate science research showing a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, fueling heavier rain events. systems designed decades ago for lower rainfall thresholds. The increase in extreme hourly and daily rainfall events exposes a widening gap between system capacity and real-world demand, raising the likelihood of flash floods, road washouts, and property damage. Proactive investment in resilient infrastructure larger stormwater systems and updated zoning is important to consider. For agriculture, the trend adds volatility to crop planning and soil management. Intense rain can erode topsoil, delay planting, and lead to waterlogged fields, compounding risks already worsened by drought-flood cycles. Farmers may consider adapting to new soil conservation and water management practices to buffer against these extremes.