US aircraft carrier in Philippine waters for typhoon relief

US aircraft carrier George Washington has arrived in the vicinity of the Leyte Gulf Thursday to assist the Philippine government in response to the aftermath of the Super Typhoon Haiyan, the Navy said Thursday. The Commander Task Force 70, which is a part of the Seventh Fleet, said on its website that the carrier has completed its high- speed transit and will go to a position just off the eastern coast of Samar island with the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Cowpens, in order to begin to assess the damage and provide logistical and emergency support to include medical and water supplies. In preparation to provide relief support, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 flew a number of fixed winged aircraft to Naval Air Facility Atsugi Thursday morning creating more room on the carrier's flight deck for helicopter operations. "One of the best capabilities the Strike Group brings is our 21 helicopters. These helicopters represent a good deal of lift to move emergency supplies around," said Mark Montgomery, commander of the George Washington Strike Group. On Monday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the George Washington and other U.S. Navy ships to head for the Philippines to aid disaster relief efforts there. Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines at the weekend. An estimated 10,000 people in the central Philippine province of Leyte might have been killed.