International aid is pouring in for the Philippines as authorities step up efforts to reach survivors driven to looting after one of the world's strongest typhoons devastated their towns.
About $A100 million in emergency assistance has been pledged so far, and more is on its way as the country struggles with the destruction from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 1774 people.
Australia is sending a 36-member medical team, and equipment and supplies with the capacity to treat up to 4000 patients over a two-week period in a temporary 50-bed hospital, Health Minister Peter Dutton said.
This was in addition to $A10 million in disaster relief announced on Monday by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. NSW has also pledged $A500,000 in aid.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and other American ships to head to the Philippines.
The carrier, which has 5000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft aboard, was expected to arrive from Hong Kong within two days. It would be accompanied by the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Cowpens, and the destroyer USS Mustin while the USS Lassen, also a destroyer, was also on the way. A supply ship, the USNS Charles Drew, was already under way.
The carrier group has helicopters while the US Marine Corps was sending four MV-22B Ospreys and three KC-130J Hercules planes to the disaster zone.
The US had earlier said it was providing $US20 million ($A21.3 million) in humanitarian aid as well as additional troops - it has 90 soldiers on the ground at present.
The United Nations had allocated $US25 million in emergency relief fund and $US2 million from the UN World Food Program. UNICEF was airlifting 66 tons of emergency supplies from Copenhagen including water purification systems, storage equipment and sanitation supplies.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron pledged STG10 million ($A17.17 million) worth of humanitarian aid, and was deploying a Royal Navy warship and Royal Air Force military transport aircraft to help in relief efforts.
The European Union, which already sent 3 million euros ($A4.33 million) for relief, was allocating another 10 million euros for rehabilitation efforts, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in Manila on Tuesday.
"There is a need to increase humanitarian support for the operations in the affected areas," he said.
"The extent of the damage is not fully known, but what we clearly know is that they are in a state of calamity."
Piebalgs said an EU humanitarian assistance team has been trying to send help to areas not yet reached by aid agencies, but access has been impossible.
"We don't know at this stage what the needs will be, it can take weeks or months, but I think the 10 million euros is a rather solid support at this stage," he added.
Germany said early on Tuesday that it would increase its aid to the typhoon-stricken Philippines to 1 million euros, up from the 500,000 euros announced at the weekend.
China had pledged $US100,000, Japan $US10 million, and Taiwan, $US200,000.
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