COVID, the cyclone bomb won’t slow Santa’s travels: Norad

The joint US-Canada military agency known for tracking Santa Claus as he delivers gifts on Christmas Eve doesn’t expect COVID-19 or the ‘bomb cyclone’ to hit North America. North affects Saint Nick’s global travels.

Norad, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is responsible for surveillance and defense of the skies over North America.

But the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based agency also runs the Norad Tracks Santa service, which lets people track his Christmas journey through his noradsanta.org website, social media channels and mobile app.

The agency plans this year to have about 1,500 volunteers working on Christmas Eve fielding phone calls from children asking for Santa’s location and delivery schedule.

Lt. Gen. David Nahom, a Norad official based in Anchorage, Alaska, said the pandemic hasn’t affected Santa’s busy delivery schedule and he doesn’t expect any impact this weekend. end.

Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls that disrupt vacation travel in the United States shouldn’t be a problem for a man who lives at the North Pole, Nahom said.

« I think Santa will be comfortable with arctic weather hitting in the lower 48s, » Nahom said.

Norad’s holiday tradition began in 1955 after a child mistakenly called a military command in Colorado to ask to speak to Santa Claus. More calls came in, so the duty commander assigned an officer to answer Santa’s calls, and the tradition took hold.