Dikes built along rivers or earthen dams are vulnerable structures in case of catastrophic flooding, as they can be completely eroded when overtopped. With the change in precipitation regimes observed worldwide following climate change, the risk of failure of such structures, initially aimed at protecting land and constructions, increases significantly. In our group, we develop both experimental tests and numerical simulations aimed at a better understanding of breaching processes for better simulations and predictions of the consequences of a failure.