Study of Susceptibility to Flash Floods in the Vărbilău River Catchment

Abstract

Identification of areas susceptible to flash floods is essential to establish measures that will help the population in case of a hazard. Therefore, the purpose of the present article is to identify the areas that present a high susceptibility to flash-floods in the Vărbilău catchment. The area, located in the Prahova region, was chosen due to the complexity of the hydrological phenomena. To determine the susceptibility to flash floods, the Flash Flood Susceptibility Index (FFSI) was calculated by integrating ten factors that play an essential role in the flash floods formation. Areas located downstream and in the middle of Vărbilău basin present a low risk, while locations in the northwest (upstream of Luţu Roşu and Scurteşti) present a high risk to flash-floods due to steep slope, narrow valleys, solid rocks, and land use.