SANDPOINT — Flood teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Seattle District have distributed 65,000 sandbags as the region braces for flooding this spring.

Warm temperatures combined with above-normal snow levels in the Pend Oreille Basin have created a situation where the Pend Oreille River flows are expected to exceed flood stage downstream of the Albeni Falls Dam this week.

Corps emergency management officials are providing sandbag training to local first responders on Thursday at the Selkirk Fire District’s station at the corner of U.S. Highway 95 and Gun Club Road in Sagle. The training begins at 5:30 p.m.

Corps officials are meeting with the Kalispel Tribe today in Pend Oreille County to provide sandbag training. It starts at 3 p.m. at the tribe’s boat launch on the Pend Oreille River.

The agency is urging private citizens to contact local government offices if they are seeking sandbags. It’s also recommending landowners stay abreast of flood watches and warnings by checking the National Weather Service’s website.

One corps team is assisting Okanogan County to reduce the risk of scouring on the Elmway levee on the Okanogan River. A second team is assisting the city of Plains, Mont., and Sanders County with implementing emergency protective measures to reduce the risk of scour on the 1948 levee. Work is estimated to conclude on Monday.

The Seattle District has distributed more than 20,000 sandbags to Okanogan County, 5,000 to Tonasket, 25,000 sandbags to Missoula and 15,000 sandbags to the Colville Confederated Tribes. An additional 75,0000 sandbags are slated to delivery in Missoula today.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.