Rain in northern France raises fears of new flooding

NEUVILLE-SOUS-MONTREUIL, France: A new spell of rain in northern France on Monday forced school closures and brought fears of fresh misery after devastating floods hit the department of Pas-de-Calais last week.

Officials said schools and nurseries in the department´s 279 towns will be closed through Tuesday, with a total of 388 establishments affected. The intensity of the rain is expected to increase Tuesday, the prefecture warned.

Four rivers in the Pas-de-Calais and Nord regions -- including the Aa, the Canche, and the Hem -- were on orange alert for flooding on Monday, according to Vigicrues, the official river flooding watchdog.