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PAF 160: How to Survive the 21st Century
Module 6 – Discussion Session
Systems
Dynamics
Perspective
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Interactive
Session
Systems Dynamics Perspective
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Explore system dynamics by building chain-
reaction scenarios from an initial emergency
event (like a power outage or major storm),
revealing how impacts cascade through
different systems, create feedback loops, and
demonstrate interconnected relationships
between system components.
NOAA
Interactive Session
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Disaster Dominos: Practice your
systems thinking!
• Pick ONE of these starter events:
o A 24-hour power outage hits your city
o 6 inches of rain falls in 2 hours for 2 days
o A weeklong heat wave reaches 110°F
o A major water main breaks downtown for a
large region
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Example Chain (Systems) Reaction
• Power outage →
• Traffic lights stop working →
• Major traffic jams form →
• Emergency vehicles can’t reach hospital →
• Hospital must divert patients →
• Neighboring hospitals become overwhelmed…
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Example Feedback Loop
• Hospital gets overwhelmed with patients →
• staff become exhausted →
• medical errors increase →
• creates more patients →
• hospital becomes more overwhelmed →
• repeat
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Activity Questions
• What else could happen?
• Who else would be affected?
• What systems connect to this (communications,
supply chain, economics, human
vulnerabilities)?
• What effects circle back to the original problem,
making it worse (or better)?
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Questions to post on Yellowdig
• Identify a feedback loop from your system dynamics
activity where effects circled back to amplify the original
problem. How could individuals, our community,
emergency managers, or others use this knowledge to
better prepare?
• You hopefully found several connected systems (like
power → transportation → healthcare). Pick one
connection and explain why it might be a ‘hidden
dependency’ that only becomes visible during disasters.
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– Complete your readings
– Take your quiz
– Submit your Yellowdig
– See you next session!
Next Steps
- Systems Dynamics Perspective
- Interactive �Session���
- Slide Number 3
- Slide Number 5
- Slide Number 7
- Slide Number 8
- Slide Number 9
- Slide Number 15
- – Complete your readings�- Take your quiz�- Submit your Yellowdig�- See you next session!��