(NECN: Brian Burnell) - The devastation in the Philippines is almost too much to comprehend.
Thousands are dead. Survivors have no food, shelter or clean water and are pleading for help.
Help is on the way. Some has arrived, but the daunting relief effort is barely underway.
The dead lie uncounted in the streets as survivors beg for food, clean water and medicine. They seek relief from the destruction left behind by Typhoon Haiyan, a storm that destroyed some 80 percent of the buildings in its path.
The horror stories are everywhere. One woman tells of her daughter slipping from her grasp during the height of the storm. She says she thinks the little girl let go on purpose, sacrificing herself so she wouldn't burden her mother in the rising water.
Many are too desperate to grieve. With power out and basic services destroyed, some looting has begun. Soldiers patrol the streets. More pressing is the need for clean water as animal and building debris clog the water system.
Help is beginning to arrive. The U.S. Marines are bringing in supplies and resources.
"We are going to move stuff as the government and the armed forces ask us for support," said Brigadier Gen. Paul Kennedy, "I've got airplanes that can look for people in areas that are stranded, that's what I do. I provide capabilities that are not resident here."
The Marines sent out food, water and generators to Tacloban, one of the hardest hit areas. The United Nations and other international agencies are now on the ground as well.
Local
Many people are suffering with injuries and illness, like diarrhea and dehydration. And the situation could get worse before it gets better. More rain is forecast, perhaps several inches.
That is not what these people need right now.
