there s no way to know how many people have died in this area. but you can smell it in the air. it s everywhere. and that s just a few blocks from where i m standing. you find bodies still here all over the place. there s a few people actually collecting. there s very little organization in terms of the philippines side. that s one of the frustrating things for people here. they re not getting information. they re not getting food. they re not getting water. and their needs are great. they really have nothing. everything has been wiped out. i want to bring in barbara starr. we re seeing an increased effort now by the united states here on the ground and also an increased promised effort. barbara, i know you just got off i believe the phone from general kennedy who s frustrated. what are you hearing? reporter: that s right, anderson. in the next several hours he s headed in your direction.
promised effort. barbara, i know you just got off i believe the phone from general kennedy who s frustrated. what are you hearing? reporter: that s right, anderson. in the next several hours he s headed in your direction. the effort to get that ire air field up and running. he told me they expect to have nighttime operations beginning this evening your time in tacloban. that of course as you know better than anybody is going to be a huge help. the next big step, at least two amphibious war ships are on the way from japan. they will bring very specialized capability. they will have tracked vehicles. think of it as vehicles with like tank treads on them that will be able to move out into these remote areas, go right through the debris if need be and get supplies out to the distribution points in the most hard-hit areas. there ll also be more helicopters onboard these ships and more ability for water purification.
this now puts a total within the next couple of days of seven u.s. military ships in the area that will have the ability to deliver aid by air, by land, water purification and start bringing in supplies, plus getting the airport open around the clock will significantly increase, they hope, the number of flights. but general kennedy also telling me he s very frustrated right now that was certainly his view at the moment. he needs a certain type of aid. the world community is responding as it always does in these situations. but as the u.s. commander on the ground, he needs specific help. and he says what his priorities are are nothing fancy. he wants shelters for people. he wants to get people off the streets and into shelters. more water, more food, more medical help, although he believes the medical facilities
the clock will significantly increase, they hope, the number of flights. but general kennedy also telling me he s very frustrated right now that was certainly his view at the moment. he needs a certain type of aid. the world community is responding as it always does in these situations. but as the u.s. commander on the ground, he needs specific help. and he says what his priorities are are nothing fancy. he wants shelters for people. he wants to get people off the streets and into shelters. more water, more food, more medical help, although he believes the medical facilities in the immediate area are pretty good at this point. but anderson, this isn t so nice to talk about on tv. sanitation. what general kennedy was telling me is, there are countries that want to send portable toilets. it s going to take a long time to get enough there. and he doesn t need that kind of
bringing in supplies, plus getting the airport open around the clock will significantly increase, they hope, the number of flights. but general kennedy also telling me he s very frustrated right now. that was certainly his view at the moment. he needs a certain type of aid. the world community is responding as it always does in these situations. but as the u.s. commander on the ground, he needs specific help. and he says what his priorities are, are nothing fancy. he wants shelters for people. he wants to get people off the streets and into shelters. more water, more food. more medical help, although he believes the medical facilities in the immediate area are pretty good at this point. but anderson, and this isn t so nice to talk about on tv, sanitation. what general kennedy is telling me is there are countries that