Abstract
Abstract. Flash-flood disasters are very rare in the Transylvanian Depression. In the last decades just three events were signalled in the study area, all of them during the last 10 years. The flash floods occurring in the study area during the last decade had a significant impact on several localities situated at the Transylvanian Depression border. Based on the post flash-flood investigation, the present study intends to find out the main characteristics of the flash floods and the causes that have led to disasters in a region rarely affected by such kinds of events. Analyzing the hydrological data, it has been seen that the maximum intensity of the flash floods was observed in the upper and middle basins. By comparing the unit peak discharges from the studied region with other specific peak discharges related to the significant flash floods from Romania, it was noticed that the events from the Transylvanian Depression have moderate to low intensity. On the other hand, the results showed that besides high stream power and unexpected character common to flash floods, the inappropriate flood risk management measures increased the dimension of the negative effects, leading to tens of lives lost and economical damages of tens of millions of dollars.
Highlights
Flash floods are one of the most significant natural hazards in Europe, causing serious risk to life and the destruction of buildings and infrastructure (Gaume et al, 2009; Aronica et al, 2012)
Flash-flood disasters are very rare in the Transylvanian Depression
None of the significant flash floods that hit Romania during the second half of the 20th century are to be found in the study region
Summary
Flash floods are one of the most significant natural hazards in Europe, causing serious risk to life and the destruction of buildings and infrastructure (Gaume et al, 2009; Aronica et al, 2012). The potential for flash-flood casualties and damages is increasing in many regions due to social and economic development bringing pressure on land use (Marchi et al, 2010). The flash-flood events are poorly understood due to the lack of experimental sites and long-term hydrometeorological data with adequate space–time resolution (Foody et al, 2004; Delrieu et al, 2005; Manus et al, 2009). Such phenomena are difficult to predict accurately, raising warning problems. At the border with the Carpathians, the basin’s slope gradient becomes steeper, increasing the flash-flood hazard
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