At least 100 towns displace by flood, crops in northern France.

Days of heavy rains in northern France have caused local rivers to overflow and flood houses and fields, prompting the evacuation of residents.

More than 100 towns are on red alert, and some 200 schools in the region have been shut. Rescue workers have also had to evacuate cattle.

"It's catastrophic," said 32-year-old farmer Gaetan Guche, whose poultry farm has been flooded, with up to 60 centimeters of water at times over the past five days.

Some chickens have been killed by the water, and he is worried about the others, fearing the spread of disease amid the humidity.

"We have to wait for the water to go down before we can see the whole damage. But I've had losses in chickens, financial losses in terms of seeds and equipment, and so today, it's really hard."