Briana KoenemanA massive aircraft carrier from the United States Navy arrived in the Philippines Thursday to help provide the typhoon-ravaged area with food, water and other supplies survivors so desperately need.
According to CNN, there are a total of 80 aircrafts on board the carrier USS George Washington that will help participate in search, surveillance and distribution missions.
But for now, the Navy says it will mostly use their 21 helicopters to transport supplies to "hard-to-reach" areas devastated by the powerful storm. (Via Sky News)
And with a crew of more than 5,000 soldiers accompanying the fleet, there will be plenty of hands to help distribute supplies to the thousands in need.
According to the U.N., nearly 600,000 people were displaced when Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc on the Philippines since the storm hit Nov. 8 — and many of those survivors have gone without food or clean water for nearly a week. (Via BBC)
Many turned to raiding grocery and department stores for supplies out of desperation. Some even reportedly tried to dig up water pipes to try to find a source for clean water. (Via Euronews)
American volunteers are also doing their best to provide survivors with another valuable service — medical attention.
According to NBC, a team of doctors performed 100 surgeries ranging from amputations to C-sections in three days in a town in Leyte using only a flashlight for light. (Via YouTube / Ted Regencia)
"I've never been in a war, but this is what I imagine it's like. The work is nonstop. The doctors haven't slept in four days." (Via NBC)
Typhoon Haiyan is one of the strongest storms on record. Its winds were 3.5 times as strong as Hurricane Katrina's, and 15-foot walls of water washed away several towns. As of Thursday morning, the official death toll amounted to more than 2,300.
