Flood vulnerability assessment in the mountain-plateau transition zone: a case study of Marginea village (Romania)

The Sucevita catchment is affected by heavy rains, which produce annual floods with catastrophic effects. Among them, the material damages caused to the dwellings of Marginea village stand out. The present study examines the vulnerability of the population and buildings of a village situated in the eastern part of the Eastern Carpathians. By applying the multicriteria method, areas with high flood vulnerability were pointed out in the Sucevita catchment. Hydraulic modelling was carried out using the HEC-RAS software and revealed that 58 dwellings with high vulnerability will be affected in the case of a flood with an exceedance probability of 1% and 17 buildings in the case of a flood with an exceedance probability of 5%. By knowing the flood vulnerability zones, the appropriate measures can reduce the damages of a hydrological event. Moreover, the proper delimitation of the floodplain leads to adequate economic management and ensures the security of the population.