The scope of international aid deliveries in the typhoon-battered Philippines widened Monday, with U.S. military helicopters dropping food, water and relief supplies to remote island and mountain communities.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington is serving as the hub of aid efforts, ferrying out supplies for distribution by aircraft and bringing in hundreds of victims for aid and medical treatment.
On the ground, there are signs that devastated communities are beginning to recover, with some markets opening and a few gasoline stations pumping fuel. People are repairing damaged homes or making temporary shelters out of the remains of their old ones.
The U.S. government has announced a further $10 million in aid, bringing its commitment so far to $37 million.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has vowed to stay in the typhoon-battered center of the country until he is satisfied with efforts to help survivors of the devastating November 8 storm.
Mr. Aquino made the pledge Sunday as he visited the hard-hit central islands of Samar and Leyte, where thousands of people flocked to ruined churches for weekly prayers.
The Philippine government says the typhoon killed at least 3,974 people and left about 1,200 others missing. Many of them were swept away and drowned in a huge storm surge triggered by one of the strongest cyclones on record to make landfall anywhere in the world.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington is serving as the hub of aid efforts, ferrying out supplies for distribution by aircraft and bringing in hundreds of victims for aid and medical treatment.
On the ground, there are signs that devastated communities are beginning to recover, with some markets opening and a few gasoline stations pumping fuel. People are repairing damaged homes or making temporary shelters out of the remains of their old ones.
The U.S. government has announced a further $10 million in aid, bringing its commitment so far to $37 million.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has vowed to stay in the typhoon-battered center of the country until he is satisfied with efforts to help survivors of the devastating November 8 storm.
Mr. Aquino made the pledge Sunday as he visited the hard-hit central islands of Samar and Leyte, where thousands of people flocked to ruined churches for weekly prayers.
The Philippine government says the typhoon killed at least 3,974 people and left about 1,200 others missing. Many of them were swept away and drowned in a huge storm surge triggered by one of the strongest cyclones on record to make landfall anywhere in the world.