Paris Emergency Management Team Tracks Santa
Paris Emergency Management is all about preparedness, which includes Santa’s expected visit next week. The City of Paris Emergency Management team prepares all year for the unknown emergencies, disasters, or special events that may occur in our community. Making sure we are all ready for Santa dropping by, our team will be cooperating with federal authorities this season by posting a direct link to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. This government website is dedicated to tracking Santa as he enters North American airspace. Just visit the City of Paris web page at www.paristexas.gov and click on the Emergency Management department page. Look for the “Santa Tracker” link, which will take you straight to the NORAD Santa tracking website. In the days leading up to Christmas Eve, the NORAD Santa tracking website also has a link to Santa’s village where kids can find games and get daily updates from the North Pole.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
While on the Emergency Management webpage, parents can also take the opportunity to sign up for the City’s CodeRED emergency notification system so they can receive telephone calls about significant weather events, utility outages, or other emergency information. Check our website early and often as the countdown for Santa has already begun!
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