Floods are among the most common natural disasters and can become significantly more severe in the event of a dam failure, leading to extensive damage to infrastructure and loss of human life. Although dams are constructed across rivers and other water bodies for various purposes and offer numerous benefits, their failure can have devastating consequences. Implementing an effective emergency action plan in such scenarios poses a major challenge for governments. However, several techniques are available to conduct hypothetical analyses of dam failure. This study focuses on a hypothetical dam break scenario of the Hirakud Dam, located in Odisha, using two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic modeling through the Hydraulic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). In particular, the study analyzes dam failure due to overtopping. We assess the maximum water surface elevation, velocity, and depth at specific locations and the total inundated area downstream in 2D simulations. The results are obtained using HEC-RAS software in conjunction with a QGIS extension for model processing and are compared with similar findings from other researchers. The 2D models effectively delineate inundation areas, offering valuable insights for flood risk assessment. These insights can support policymakers in formulating well-informed emergency management strategies.