WASHINGTON — The US military has ordered two amphibious ships to the
Philippines to help victims of the devastating Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
and a third was poised to deploy, officials said Tuesday.
The
move will ferry hundreds of US Marines to the storm-ravaged country as
well as vehicles able to operate in flooded, debris strewn areas,
officials said.
The US State Department has meanwhile confirmed
two American fatalities from the storm which is feared to have claimed
as many as 10,000 lives.
The USS Germantown and USS Ashland,
amphibious warfare vessels designed to transport and launch landing
craft and vehicles, have been ordered to depart for the Philippines from
the southern Japanese port of Sasebo, said a Navy official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity.
"The ships will get under way from Sasebo shortly," the Navy official told AFP.
Another
vessel, the USS Denver, an amphibious transport dock ship, had been
placed on standby to prepare to deploy as well, officials said.
All
three have landing decks that can serve helicopters as well as medical
facilities and the capability to produce desalinated water.
The US military often employs its versatile amphibious ships for disaster relief efforts.
General
Paul Kennedy, who is leading a contingent of Marines that has arrived
in the Philippines, requested the amphibious ships, a senior Marine
Corps official told reporters.
The general has also asked for
Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, which can land like a helicopter and fly
like an airplane, and amphibious assault vehicles that could be used
where roads are blocked by debris, said the official, who asked not to
be named.
"We're not ruling in or out any capability that may be
required to support our Philippine allies as they sort out this very
terrible situation," Pentagon spokesman George Little told a news
conference, saying no final order has been issued for more ships.
The
American military has a team of 243 Marines on the ground in hard-hit
Tacloban on Leyte island to carry out an initial assessment of
humanitarian needs.
The US military presence "will be growing
every day," said the Marine Corps official, adding that it will likely
expand to about 1,500 to 2,000 troops in coming days.
Washington
had already ordered urgent emergency efforts in response to the massive
typhoon, which has destroyed entire coastal communities.
On
Monday evening, the Pentagon announced it was dispatching the aircraft
carrier George Washington and its accompanying cruisers and destroyers,
including its fleet of 11 helicopters and dozens of airplanes.
The carrier group is due to arrive on Thursday or Friday.
Another naval destroyer and a supply ship are also en route to the Philippines.
As
of Monday, US Osprey and KC-130 aircraft had delivered 107,000 pounds
(48 metric tonnes) of food, water and other emergency supplies to the
Philippines government, officials said.
The Marines can draw on
tap water units, transport trucks and Humvee vehicles pre-positioned in
the capital Manila, officials said.
American forces also had evacuated more than 160 refugees from the Tacloban area.
The
US Agency for International Development also is sending enough
emergency shelter and basic hygiene supplies to assist 10,000 families
in the Philippines, Little said.
— Agence France-Presse
KUDOS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND TO U.S. MEN IN UNIFORM
KUDOS TO THE U.S. ARTISTS, SINGERS, CELEBRITIES, U.S. CITIZENS FOR THEIR HELP.
KUDOS TO THE PEOPLE IN EVERY COUNTRY WHO IN ANY WAY THEY COULD, SEND THEIR HELP TO THE FILIPINO VICTIMS.
GOD BLESS US ALL.
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