Smackdown: hilarious tweet from the Calgary Police goes viral

This weekend Calgarians were, literally, up to their necks in it.

Flooding in the Alberta city was the worst in a century. In total, 27 local states of emergency were declared and 28 emergency operations centres have been activated. More than 100,000 people have been displaced, and three are already confirmed dead.

The Calgary Police Twitter account has become one of the most active and probably the best social media resource for Calgarians looking for information on road closures, power updates, cell service and re-entry procedures, as some residents are beginning to return to their homes.

But it seems even the cops have their limits, patience wise.

A since deleted account from a user called “Heather M” @hmmurtagh001 asked the Calgary Police Twitter account a question that provoked a priceless response.

“What do we do about vagrants and questionable people roaming the streets in suburb communities because of the flood situation?”

The answer from @CalgaryPolice has now been retweeted hundreds of times.

“Suspicious people can be reported by calling 403-266-1234. Homeless people may appreciate a sandwich.”

The response from the Twittersphere was roundly supportive of the Calgary Police response.

Twitter user “Brian Mabe” @MabeBrian said “Way to go CPD! Talk about insensitivity.”

User “Champagne Sarah” @SarahMcGuireJB was more direct.

“LOW PRIORITY. Jesus Christ.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Calgary over the weekend to survey the damage, and says there will be funding available under federal disaster assistance programs to aid the recovery. He was, however, curiously mum on the subject of sandwiches for the homeless.

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