After consultation with Icelandic authorities and after meeting with a senior team of elves in North Pole Flight Command, Santa Claus today authorized the suspension of operations at the Regional Tracking Center located in Vik, Iceland.
The move comes out of “an abundance of caution” due to recent volcanic and earthquake activity in Iceland.
For more information of the changing situation in Iceland surround this natural event, please see this link: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/iceland-evacuees-brace-volcanic-eruption-2023-11-13/
“We are not and have not been in any danger,” said Operations Director for the Vik facility, Elf Gretchen Green. “The government of Iceland still wants us here and hopefully the situation will stabilize before Christmas so that operations can return to Vik.”
The Regional Tracking Center in Vik, Iceland coordinates flight operations for Santa, collects tracker reports, weather information and other vital data used in Santa’s flights for all of Sector, which covers all of Europe and Africa.
Elf Roger Star, Director of North Pole Flight Command, outlined the plan that will take place over the next five days:
1. Elf Supervisor Rolf Jannsen and his senior operations team will move to a temporary location set up in Renn, Norway. Support teams from Flight Command are assisting Rolf to be operational by Saturday, November 19th.
2. Some elf specialists from the Vik team have been temporarily re-assigned to the Regional Tracking Centers for Sector 4, in San Nicolas, Aruba and for Sector 5, in Cold Lake Canada. They will continue their work, mostly related to multi-lingual operations, reporting and data analysis, until the Norway facility is fully open for business.
3. Elf Supervisors in Sector 4 and Sector 5 – namely, Elf Tubby Ryder and Elf Pinky Yates – will assume communication and operations authority while Elf Rolf gets the Norway Facility open.
4. The SS Donner, a support vessel of the North Pole Navy, will stay anchored between Iceland and Norway to assist with communications and logistics.
5. A small dedicated team will remain in Vik to secure the facility and to run minimal operations. If ordered to evacuate by local authorities they are equipped to do so quickly and safely.
All of these operations are being coordinated to keep Tracker Elves in Sector 3 working.
“We believe Tracker Elves can continue reporting, whether they are freelance or remote North Pole elves, without interruption,” said International Director of Santa Trackers, Elf Crash Murphy. “In fact, it is critical that they do not stop reporting. We need weather reports ongoing. With winter quickly settling in up North, chimney inspections are crucial. Test flights for Santa’s sleigh are headed for Europe soon and we need eyes on the skies. We appreciate all Santa, Elf Roger Star, North Pole Flight Command and the North Pole Navy are doing to keep us rolling.”
Tracker Elves, especially in Sector 3, are encouraged to keep a very close eye on Sector news pages and Elf Wall announcements from any of the Elf Supervisors for at the least the next five days.
This is a developing story, with updates soon coming to NorthPoleFlightCommand.com, SantaUpdate.com and SantaTrackers.net
In looking at Google maps Vik is roughly a couple of hundred miles away from the worst of the volcanic activity. The pictures coming from Iceland today are crazy.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/travel/iceland-volcano-explainer-intl-scli-scn/index.html
Wow!
Thank you, Elf Harold. I am so sorry to hear that. I hope everyone in Iceland is safe. Elf Roff and his team, please move to Norway carefully. I know you feel many earthquakes after a big earthquake in a day for at least a week, and it affects other weather, for example, rain, etc. Please evacuate under the table in the house when it’s shaking, and keep out by the house when they are outside. It looks safe, but it’s not. It would help to have a cushion to protect your head from the objects and the volcanic ash. I pray that everyone is safe and the operations will work better soon. Stay safe and warm. Please let us know anything if we can help you! I’ll also send a weather report from Sector 1, right?