# A Practical Approach on Reducing the Flood Impact: A Case Study from Romania
## 1 Introduction
The main reason is that the digital terrain models do not contain such terrain items. [PERSON] et al. [23] discussed modeling applications' limitations in identifying embankments. They remarked that no automated procedure exists to identify or remove embankments or levees from the DEMs obtained via LiDAR. Manual processing DEM techniques are mainly used, as in their work in HEC-RAS. [PERSON] et al. [24] presented the methodology of utilizing the hydraulic modeling software in the event of an embankment break, employing data from the Romanian National Water Institute and River Basin Administrations. They showed how water drains through the cracks in the embankment. Other scientists determined and quantified the hazards' effects based on different scenarios. In their article, [PERSON] et al. [25] analyzed the flooding impact on the houses located at a distance less than 100 m from a river in Indonesia, emphasizing the destruction of buildings, compromising of crops, infrastructure destruction, and the cessation of economic activities in the area. [PERSON] et al. [26] discussed the risk at a small scale produced by flows that can appear once every 100 and 300 years. Analysis has been carried out in floodplains where the expansion of neighborhoods is expected. Scenarios are analyzed to determine the exposure to floods. In Romania, there are different regions where floods frequently occur. Such events are not rare in the Varbilau catchment discussed in this study. Studies performed for this country mainly addressed the susceptibility to floods in different zones using flood potential indices and artificial intelligence methods [27; 28; 29; 30] or the accessibility of different locations in various flooding scenarios [31; 32]. While hazard maps were built in the National Flood Management Plan framework to support authorities' informed decisions regarding flood measures preparation, we note that some zones are not covered or are investigated less. In this context, the novelty of the present study relies on the following:Test the hypothesis that the rail embankment is a factor that favors water accumulation in the case of high precipitations or massive snow melt, contributing to flooding apparition. The results cover a gap in the scientific literature that highlights the necessity to investigate bridges' influence on flood events in diverse conditions [15; 16];
* Presents the results of simulating floods in Dumbravesti, situated on the Varbilau catchment, in the Prahova County (Romania), one of the villages in the river catchment most affected by flooding. Such a study has not been performed until now for this catchment, and the possible loss in the case of flooding with a 100-year return period was not evaluated. This study provides scientific support for authorities to take measures to eliminate or reduce the risk of floods;
* Propose a solution for mitigating the floods' impact. For this aim, the flooding simulation was performed for a 100-year return period, and the results were compared with the case when the embankment was removed and replaced by a bridge;
* Provide an initial evaluation of the economic loss in the three proposed scenarios. It must be noted that the solutions we propose as water resources scientists are not exhaustive. Road and bridge design engineers must investigate their technical and economic feasibility further. Our goal was to point out an issue that should be solved and provide an analysis that can be successfully applied to other catchments.