Asia-Pacific
USS George Washington, Marines sent to Philippines for Haiyan relief efforts
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Stars and Stripes November 12, 2013
Travis J. Tritten tritten.travis@stripes.com
Stars and Stripes November 12, 2013
Marines board a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, moments before departing for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines board a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, moments before departing for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines prepare to deploy aboard a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Monday, Nov. 11, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. About 300 Marines and sailors assigned to the forward command element/humanitarian assistance survey team are deploying to the Philippines from Okinawa after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines secure gear onto a pallet Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma during preparation for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Lance Cpl. Elijah L. Gates loads a pallet of gear onto a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, during preparation for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines load palletized equipment onto a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Monday, Nov. 11, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, during preparation for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan, which impacted millions of people across 36 provinces. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines board a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Sunday, Nov. 11, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, to depart for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Chief Warrant Officer Allen T. Leiper uses cargo nets to secure palletized equipment Nov. 11 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. The equipment was later loaded onto a KC-130J Hercules aircraft to be used during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Pfc. Arturo Menchaca uses hand signals to direct Lance Cpl. Bryce E. Sanglay as he drives an extended boom forklift at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, during preparation for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
USS George Washington (CVN 73) file photo (Official US Navy photo)
Marines preparing to depart for the Philippines ahead of Haiyan relief efforts stack their gear on a pallet Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
Gunnery Sgt. Joseph A. Zook, left, guides Lance Cpl. Bryce R. Sanglay while he loads a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, during preparation for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. (David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)
U.S. Marines carry an injured Filipino man off the back of a KC-130J Super Hercules at Villamor Air Base, Manila, the Philippines, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed Marines to provide humanitarian relief after Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the country. (Stephen D. Himes/U.S. Marine Corps)
This story has been updated and corrected.
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa -- The U.S. military stepped up humanitarian aid efforts in the Philippines on Tuesday, with more troops heading in from Japan and an aircraft carrier moving into position off the typhoon-battered country’s coast.
The Marine Corps was deploying about 45 more Okinawa-based Marines aboard a C-130 aircraft Tuesday afternoon. The USS George Washington strike group ended a port call early in Hong Kong to steam toward the Philippines, where up to 10,000 people may have been killed by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever to make landfall.
Officials are working to get food, water and shelter to the more than 11 million people estimated to be affected by the storm.
The Philippines government evacuated hundreds of thousands of residents in advance of the super typhoon that swept ashore Friday, packing winds of up to 170 mph and causing storm surges that swamped coastal communities.
The additional Marine forces Tuesday are part of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Four MV-22 Ospreys, three KC-130 cargo planes and 180 Marines and sailors departed Monday for storm-hit areas in the sprawling archipelago of more than 7,000 islands.
A Marine forward command element, which arrived Sunday, was still assessing damage and gauging needs. It set up staging areas at Villamor Air Base in Manila and the former Clark Air Base in Angeles City, according to a Marine spokesman on Okinawa.
The USS George Washington strike group is carrying 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft to join the humanitarian effort. The cruisers USS Antietam and USS Cowpens, the destroyer USS Mustin and a Navy supply ship, USNS Charles Drew, will accompany the George Washington. USS Lassen got under way Monday in support of the relief effort.
The ships were expected to arrive off the Philippines within two to three days, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
Late Tuesday, the Pentagon also announced that two amphibious warships from Sasebo Naval Base in Japan would also be sent to help with disaster relief.
The Department of Defense authorized humanitarian aid over the weekend amid grim reports of Haiyan’s destruction.
Aside from military forces, the United States is distributing $20 million in immediate relief aid, including emergency shelter, food and water, through its USAID program in the Philippines.
The country’s southeast appears to be the worst hit, according to The Associated Press. About 630,000 people have been displaced by Haiyan and its aftermath.