Story highlights Two U.S. Navy amphibious ships will pick up Marines in Okinawa and sail to Philippines

The U.S. commander in the Philippines is asking for amphibious warships

The vessels can carry helicopters, vehicles that can surmount debris piles

The U.S. military will bring supplies, but they will be handed out by local leaders

The hundreds of thousands of typhoon victims in the Philippines need help, and they need it now, the U.S. Marine Corps general in charge of the U.S. military relief effort says.

Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy told CNN he needs immediate dispatch of U.S. Navy amphibious ships that carry equipment to produce potable water and the variety of helicopters, small boats, trucks and other supplies needed in the relief effort.

"They are the Swiss army knife of the U.S. military," Kennedy said of the amphibious ships, speaking to CNN in a telephone interview from the Philippines.

The Pentagon appeared to be heeding his call. Two U.S. Navy amphibious ships are now sailing from their home base in Sasebo, Japan, to Okinawa, where they will pick up Marines and continue on to the Philippines, a U.S. military official said Tuesday evening.

Three warships that are home-ported in the Pacific are also under orders to prepare to deploy in the next 48 hours, a senior Pentagon official told CNN.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said the military is working hard to give Kennedy whatever he needs. He said 250 U.S. service members are now in the Philippines, and they have delivered 107,000 pounds of relief supplies.

Kennedy said the most crucial need right now is to provide shelter for the tens of thousands of displaced people, as well as food, water and sanitation. The situation is so dire there may not even be enough time or capability to fly in portable toilets, and human waste might have to be burned in place, he said.

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Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Photos: Typhoon Haiyan – A man reconstructs his house in the bay of Tacloban, Leyte province, Philippines, on Wednesday, November 27, 2013. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record, hit the country's eastern seaboard on November 8, leaving a wide swath of destruction, including more than 5,000 deaths. Hide Caption 1 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Photos: Typhoon Haiyan – A man rests on his damaged house along the shore in Tacloban on Monday, November 25. Hide Caption 2 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Photos: Typhoon Haiyan – Road traffic moves past destroyed houses in Palo, Leyte province, on Sunday, November 24, weeks after typhoon Haiyan caused heavy damage to life and property in the Philippines. Hide Caption 3 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Hide Caption 4 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman rests inside the damaged Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Tacloban, Philippines, on Sunday, November 24. Hide Caption 5 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman looks over the devastated waterfront in Tacloban on November 24. Hide Caption 6 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Typhoon survivors walk down a road in Palo, Philppines, during a procession for typhoon victims on November 24. Hide Caption 7 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A vehicle lies in the water in Tacloban on Saturday, November 23. Hide Caption 8 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man searches through the debris in Tacloban on November 23. Hide Caption 9 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man scavenges piles of wood amid damaged container vessels on November 23 in Tacloban. Hide Caption 10 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Local people begin to help clear debris near the shoreline where several tankers ran aground on November 23 in Leyte. The death toll from the storm stands at more than 5,000, according to a government-run news agency. Hide Caption 11 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man clears debris from in front of his home near the shoreline on November 23 in Leyte. Hide Caption 12 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Groups of men clear debris near the shoreline on November 23 in Tacloban. Hide Caption 13 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan inspect the damage to their houses in Tacloban, Philippines, on Friday, November 22. Hide Caption 14 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Filpinos clear rubble from a hard-hit area in Tacloban on November 22. Hide Caption 15 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An airplane lands in Tacloban as Antonio Lacasa rebuilds his house on Thursday, November 21. Hide Caption 16 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People carry a coffin through an opening in the wall of a public cemetery for burial in Tacloban on November 21. Hide Caption 17 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A member of the Philippine air force drops relief goods for survivors in Tolosa on November 21. Hide Caption 18 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Children blow bubbles in a destroyed market in Tacloban on Wednesday, November 20. Hide Caption 19 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Workers clear mud and debris in Tacloban on November 20. Hide Caption 20 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A boy climbs across debris in Tacloban on November 20. Hide Caption 21 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People at the airport in Tacloban react to a blast of wind from an aircraft on November 20. Hide Caption 22 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man walks through water in the typhoon-ravaged city of Tacloban, Philippines, on November 20. Hide Caption 23 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man sleeps on Tuesday, November 19, on a tanker that ran aground during Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban. Hide Caption 24 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Firemen unload bodies November 19 for forensic experts to register and bury in a mass grave outside of Tacloban. Hide Caption 25 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Firemen unload more victims outside of Tacloban on November 19. Hide Caption 26 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man fans the flames of a fire in Tanauan, Philippines, on November 19. Hide Caption 27 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors salvage wood next to stranded ships in Tacloban on November 19. Hide Caption 28 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Philippine military personnel carry an injured survivor to an evacuation flight at the Tacloban airport November 19. Hide Caption 29 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People in Tacloban march in the rain November 19 during a procession calling for courage and resilience among survivors. Hide Caption 30 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People play cards by candlelight Monday, November 18, in Tacloban. Hide Caption 31 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A U.S. Navy helicopter delivers relief goods to typhoon victims in Ormoc, Philippines, on November 18. Hide Caption 32 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Men take food back to their families in Leyte on November 18. Countries all over the world have pledged relief aid to those affected by the typhoon, but damage to airports and roads have made moving the aid very difficult. Hide Caption 33 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People are held back as the U.S. Navy delivers aid from a helicopter in San Jose, Philippines, on November 18. Hide Caption 34 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A helicopter flies over a call for help in Ormoc on November 18. Hide Caption 35 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man cleans up mud inside a church in the hard-hit city of Tacloban on November 18. Hide Caption 36 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A boy bathes November 18 at a Tacloban school turned into a temporary shelter. Hide Caption 37 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Hundreds of typhoon survivors are packed into a U.S. military airplane November 18 for evacuation from Tacloban's airport. Hide Caption 38 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Typhoon survivors run toward a passing U.S. Navy helicopter in San Jose on November 18. Hide Caption 39 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A boy holding a toy machine gun sits Sunday, November 17, on a ship that ran aground in Tacloban. Hide Caption 40 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People gather around a helicopter as it delivers relief supplies November 17 in Guiuan, Philippines. Hide Caption 41 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Filipinos board an HC-130 Hercules airplane as U.S. sailors carry relief supplies November 17 in Guiuan. Hide Caption 42 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors clean mannequins found among the debris in Tacloban on November 17. Hide Caption 43 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man leans against a statue of the Crucifixion before a Mass at Santo Nino Church in Tacloban on November 17. Hide Caption 44 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man carries a piece of wood from the debris in Tacloban on November 17. Hide Caption 45 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors wait in line in Tacloban for relief goods on November 17. Hide Caption 46 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man looks over the devastation from his damaged home in Tacloban on November 17. Hide Caption 47 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A trapped resident braves the dust created by a U.S. Navy helicopter taking off Saturday, November 16, on Manicani Island, Philippines. Hide Caption 48 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Corpses are collected and loaded on trucks to be taken to mass graves in Tacloban on November 16. Hide Caption 49 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A victim's corpse floats on a river in Tanauan on November 16. Hide Caption 50 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A pregnant survivor waits to give birth in a hospital November 16 in Tanauan. Hide Caption 51 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A dead dog lies in front of a house destroyed by the typhoon in Tanauan. Hide Caption 52 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man carries a bicycle as he walks through the ruins of a Tacloban building November 16. Hide Caption 53 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors of the typhoon stand in a Tanauan street partially blocked by debris November 16. Hide Caption 54 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An elderly survivor walks past toppled cars outside a church in Tacloban on November 16. Hide Caption 55 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man in Tanauan cleans meat after slaughtering his only cow that survived the typhoon. Hide Caption 56 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors gather in Tacloban to await transport to a neighboring province on November 16. Hide Caption 57 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Men carry a coffin toward a Leyte cemetery on November 16. Hide Caption 58 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A survivor cooks dinner in front of his damaged home in Marabut, Philippines, on Friday, November 15. Hide Caption 59 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Toppled coconut trees dot a mountain in an area devastated by the typhoon in Leyte province. Hide Caption 60 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A typhoon survivor keeps her husband alive by manually pumping air into his lungs after his leg was amputated at a Tacloban hospital November 15. The hospital has been operating without power since the typhoon. Hide Caption 61 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A survivor reacts to the damage at a residential area in Tacloban on November 15. Hide Caption 62 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Typhoon victims are treated in the lobby of a Tacloban hospital on November 15. Hide Caption 63 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Philippine Army soldiers carry the body of a civilian in Tanauan on November 15. Hide Caption 64 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Residents wait to board a Singaporean cargo plane at the Tacloban airport on November 15. Many survivors have converged on the city's airport to wait for flights. Hide Caption 65 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Search and retrieval teams carry a body bag in Tacloban on November 15. Hide Caption 66 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Haiyan survivors carry food that a U.S. military helicopter dropped off in Guiuan on Thursday, November 14. Hide Caption 67 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Dozens of bodies are placed near Tacloban City Hall on November 14 as workers prepare a mass grave on the outskirts of the hard-hit city. Hide Caption 68 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A girl plays inside her house amid the devastation in Tacloban on November 14. Hide Caption 69 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A Filipino soldier hands out bread to survivors in Maraboth, Philippines, on November 14. Hide Caption 70 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A boy takes cover from rain while waiting for an evacuation flight from Tacloban's airport November 14. Hide Caption 71 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Workers arrange bodies at a mass burial site at a Tacloban cemetery November 14. Hide Caption 72 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – The weary wait for evacuation from Tacloban on November 14. Hide Caption 73 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A truck lies in the water in Hernani, Philippines, on November 14. Hide Caption 74 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Children play with fallen power lines near a damaged school in Guiuan on November 14. Hide Caption 75 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Teresa Mazeda hangs laundry in the ruins of her Tacloban home on Wednesday, November 13. Hide Caption 76 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Nina Duran searches for belongings at her family's destroyed house in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 77 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors walk through the ruins of their neighborhood outside Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 78 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man sits in front of his destroyed business November 13 in Tacloban. Hide Caption 79 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A family, desperate to charge their mobile phones to search for family and friends, tries to use a ceiling fan to generate electricity November 13 in the Philippine province of Cebu. Hide Caption 80 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An injured man in Tacloban rests beneath a picture of Jesus Christ on November 13. Hide Caption 81 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man takes a shower amid the rubble in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 82 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A rescue team wades into Tacloban floodwater to retrieve a body on November 13. Hide Caption 83 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Residents take shelter in a Tacloban church on November 13. Hide Caption 84 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Residents make their way through a destroyed neighborhood in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 85 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A boy cycles past a coffin left on a street in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 86 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man looks at his destroyed home November 13 in Tacloban. Hide Caption 87 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Body bags are lined up in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 88 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors prepare to board a military plane November 13 at the Tacloban airport. Hide Caption 89 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Photos: Typhoon Haiyan – Men walk through smoke as they burn debris from a Tacloban church on November 16. Hide Caption 90 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An aerial view of Tanuan shows signs pleading for help and food November 13. Hide Caption 91 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Soldiers help a woman after she collapsed November 13 while waiting in line to board a military plane at Tacloban's airport. Hide Caption 92 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors wait to be evacuated from Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 93 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An injured survivor gets carried on a stretcher before being airlifted from Tacloban's airport November 13. Hide Caption 94 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A survivor begins to rebuild his house in Tacloban on November 13. Hide Caption 95 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Evacuees wait to board a military aircraft in Leyte on Tuesday, November 12. Hide Caption 96 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People walk through damage in Tacloban on November 12. Hide Caption 97 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A young man waits at the airport November 12 in hopes of being evacuated from Tacloban. Hide Caption 98 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman comforts a crying relative as a plane leaves the Tacloban airport November 12. Hide Caption 99 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A man sits crying on a packed aircraft in Tacloban on November 12. Hide Caption 100 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Debris lays scattered around a damaged home near the Tacloban airport on November 12. Hide Caption 101 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A girl sits inside a bus as she waits for a ferry in Matnog, Philippines, on November 12. Hide Caption 102 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Police line up bodies for processing in Tacloban on November 12. Hide Caption 103 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People in Tacloban pass debris on November 11. Hide Caption 104 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Survivors in Tacloban board a military plane bound for the Philippine capital of Manila on November 11. Hide Caption 105 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Residents carry bags of rice from a Tacloban warehouse that they stormed November 11 because of a food shortage. Hide Caption 106 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman in Tacloban walks amid the debris of destroyed houses on November 11. Hide Caption 107 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People make their way across a flooded street in Shangsi, China, on November 11. Haiyan moved toward Vietnam and south China after devastating the Philippines. Hide Caption 108 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Buildings lie in ruins on Eastern Samar's Victory Island. Hide Caption 109 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Emily Ortega rests on November 11 after giving birth to Bea Joy at an improvised clinic at the Tacloban airport. Hide Caption 110 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft arrive at Manila's Villamor Airbase to deliver humanitarian aid on November 11. Hide Caption 111 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People ride past destruction in Tacloban on Sunday, November 10. Hide Caption 112 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A body lies amid the Tacloban devastation on November 10. Hide Caption 113 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People cover their noses to block the smell of bodies in Tacloban on November 10. Hide Caption 114 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Bodies of victims lie along a Tacloban road on November 10. Hide Caption 115 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A large boat sits aground, surrounded by debris in Tacloban on November 10. Hide Caption 116 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People walk past the Tacloban devastation on November 10. Hide Caption 117 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People stand under a shelter in Tacloban. Hide Caption 118 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A girl peeks out from a makeshift shelter in Tacloban. Hide Caption 119 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Typhoon survivors wait to receive relief goods at the Tacloban airport on November 10. Hide Caption 120 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman mourns in front of her husband's dead body November 10 in Tacloban. Hide Caption 121 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Fallen trees litter the ground at the Tacloban airport on Saturday, November 9. Hide Caption 122 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A resident passes victims' bodies on a Tacloban street November 9. Hide Caption 123 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People in Tacloban carry a victim of the typhoon November 9. Hide Caption 124 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A vehicle lies amid Tacloban debris on November 9. Hide Caption 125 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – People walk past a victim left on the side of a road in Tacloban. Hide Caption 126 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A resident passes an overturned car in Tacloban on November 9. Hide Caption 127 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Rescue workers carry a woman about to give birth November 9 at a makeshift medical center at the Tacloban airport. Hide Caption 128 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – An airport lies in ruins in Tacloban. Hide Caption 129 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Astronaut Karen L. Nyberg took a picture of the typhoon from the International Space Station on November 9. Hide Caption 130 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Women walk past fallen trees and destroyed houses in Tacloban on November 9. Residents scoured supermarkets for water and food as they slowly emerged on streets littered with debris. Hide Caption 131 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A soldier pulls a cable inside the devastated airport tower in Tacloban. Hide Caption 132 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Tacloban houses are destroyed by the strong winds caused by the typhoon. Hide Caption 133 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Dark clouds brought by Haiyan loom over Manila skyscrapers on November 8. Hide Caption 134 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman carries a baby across a river November 8 at a coastal village in Las Pinas, Philippines. Hide Caption 135 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A resident walks along a fishing village in Bacoor, Philippines, on November 8. Hide Caption 136 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A house in Legazpi, Philippines, is engulfed by storm surge November 8. Hide Caption 137 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A child wraps himself in a blanket inside a makeshift house along a Bacoor fishing village. Hide Caption 138 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A woman and her children head for an evacuation center November 8 amid strong winds in Cebu City, Philippines. Hide Caption 139 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Huge waves from Haiyan hit the shoreline in Legazpi on November 8. Hide Caption 140 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A fisherman lifts a post to reinforce his home at a coastal village in Las Pinas on November 8. Hide Caption 141 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – A resident unloads nets off a fishing boat in Bacoor on November 8. Hide Caption 142 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Residents reinforce their homes in Las Pinas on November 8. Hide Caption 143 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – The storm approaches the Philippines in this satellite image taken Thursday, November 7, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hide Caption 144 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Workers bring down a billboard in Makati, Philippines, on November 7 before Haiyan makes landfall. Hide Caption 145 of 146 Photos: Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan – Philippine Coast Guard personnel stand in formation beside newly acquired rubber boats after a blessing ceremony in Manila on Wednesday, November 6. The boats were to be deployed to the central Philippines in preparation for Haiyan. Hide Caption 146 of 146

While U.S. Marines are on the ground providing aid and more U.S. military help has been dispatched, Kennedy said more help is urgently needed.

"The rest of the world needs to get mobilized, the rest of the donor community," he told NBC News. "A week from now will be too late. "

"We can't wait," said Martin Romualdez, a Philippines congressman. "People have gone three days without any clean water, food and medication," he told CNN's "Piers Morgan Live." "People are getting desperate."

Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on Friday as one of the most powerful storms recorded.

By Tuesday, officials had counted 1,774 deaths from the storm. Authorities had said Haiyan may have taken as many as 10,000 lives, but Philippines President Benigno Aquino III told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday that the death toll would more likely be about 2,000 or 2,500 people.

With wind gusts well above 200 mph and a massive storm surge, the storm displaced at least 800,000 people, the United Nations said Tuesday.

More than 2 million people need food aid, the Philippine government said.

Compounding relief efforts Tuesday was a new tropical low, Zoraida, which has dumped 4 inches of rain in some of the hard-hit areas. That makes the amphibious ships Kennedy has asked for even more vital.

The amphibious ships have tracked "assault amphibious vehicles" that can carry supplies and move over and through piles of debris to distribution points where aid is needed most.

The Pentagon has dispatched the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which was visiting Hong Kong, to the disaster area. Two cruisers, three destroyers and a supply ship are joining the carrier for the mission, Little said.

"The George Washington can produce more than 400,000 gallons of fresh water per day. As you know, and as a reminder, a U.S. Navy carrier, the USS Lincoln, supported tsunami relief operations in 2004 in the Pacific, providing much needed capabilities to operations ashore," Little said.

The U.S. military relief effort will take supplies to distribution points, but those supplies will be then handed out by Philippines forces, Kennedy said. Local forces are in the best position to know community leaders and make sure those in the most need are getting the help, he added.

As of Tuesday night in the Philippines, lights and radars were being assembled at the airport in Tacloban, at the heart of the disaster zone, and the facility was expected to be running full day and nighttime operations within 24 hours, he said.