According to officials, the idea is to "reach younger residents who spend more time on the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii than with television or radio" and it's actually part of a bigger program called Empire 2.0. Other things happening under the Empire 2.0 project include:

[T]he Department of Mental Health is monitoring some Facebook posts in an effort to spot suicidal behavior, the Office of Homeland Security is using Second Life to train 700,000 first responders, and senior members of the state CIO's office are using Twitter to disseminate information about technology initiatives to the public.

Basically, it feels like a good blend between the services and technology we use every day and important government programs. Now we just need a way to get emergency alerts to those of us who no longer watch live TV, listen to regular radio, and or play video games much. Or am I the only one? [Information Week via Slashdot]

"The mPower Reserve Battery offers an unprecedented minimum shelf life of 20 years and has an immediate activation to full power. Through an intricate battery design, mPhase developed a way to eliminate power dissipation before initial activation."

The flashlight uses an intense, high-performance LED, and has an accessory USB connection to charge your mobile devices. It's slated to arrive in March, but we hope to get a better look at it at CES in January. [CNETand Yahoo News]

Enticing marketing copy seals the deal:

Nothing lifts the spirits like a good yodel, but most of us don’t have the skill to yodel on cue. That’s where the Emergency Yodel Button comes in. Keep this 4″ x 3″ x 5/8″ plastic device with you at all times and when the need arises, press the button to hear the sweet mellifluous warbling of an alpine yodel.

That's certainly correct. I neither have the ability, nor the desire, to emit a skilled yodel on cue. Costs $12.50 and your dignity. FYI: Goes well with this. [Archie McPhee via Red Ferret]

The Bedu is still, as yet, merely a concept. [Yanko]

After showing the bottle off at a defense conference in the UK, Pritchard sold all 1,000 of his $385 bottles in under four hours. Defense experts were impressed with the fact that it could filter 4,000 or 6,000 liters before the filter had to be replaced. An innovation such as this could have a significant impact if it ever reached the consumer market, not only being used as emergency gear, but for camping and travel as well. [The Register]

Designed by Californian architect Gregg Fleishman, the DH1 comes in flatpack form and you don't even need nails to put it together. Slot the parts, made of European birch plywood, together and—voil ! instant dwelling.

The DH1's structural floor cleverly sits 30 inches off the ground (anyone rich who is still recovering from this year's Glastonbury trauma, put the DH1 on next year's shopping list), so no unsightly seepage from underneath.

There are several drawbacks, though—first, the price of $22,000 would be beyond the reach of most disaster victims. If biblical rains follow the disaster, then you're going to get wet, unless you have a canvas or plastic sheet—and a big one—to hand. Third—and don't bad things always come in threes?—a high wind may mean you wake up to find you're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy, unless you were smart and moored your DH1 four ways to a concrete block.

DH1 Disaster House, from stack of plywood to dwelling in no time flat [Sci Fi Tech]

We suppose it's useful to store this with the rest of your emergency supplies, but we'd probably prefer to keep our regular phone on us instead. We can never remember anyone's number if it's not already programmed in. – Jason Chen

MobileMentalism

Product Page [Via Bookofjoe]

Helicopters to be Used to Deliver SMS Messages In a Crisis [MobileBurn]

The BodyGard contains a glass breaker, safety belt cutter, sonic alarm, flashing red distress light, and LED flashlight. Five things that you should need in the inevitable event that you plow into a YMCA pool. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Think Geek]

EMI 911 rCard [via Oh!Gizmo]

The tool looks like it hails from China, so getting hard details about it like price is somewhat tough. No matter, since our readers are as tough as they come. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Shenzen Bringtop via The Red Ferret Journal]

LifeStat is an emergency airway device for use in respiratory obstruction or failure. This innovative device facilitates a lifesaving method (cricothyroid notch) in emergencies when other efforts have failed.

And yes, Mr. EMT Man, we really expect you to try other efforts first. We know how tempting the "hey, I want to try out this new gadget I got" feeling is. – Jason Chen

Lifestat Emergency Airway Device [Shippert via Medgadget]

Sony Japan [via fareastgizmos]

Designer Page [VonHeifner via Yanko]

Funded by a $1 surcharge on all cell phone services that the state began collecting back in July 2004, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency says the rollout is on schedule to fully blanket the state in three to five years. For now, PA residents should look on the bright side; at least you're not Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Utah, Hawaii or Ohio, the only states that have less coverage than you folk.

Pa. to Install Cell Tracking Technology [Business Week]