The United States Navy has pledged more resources to help the victims impacted by Typhoon Haiyan.
Hospital ship USNS Mercy, based in San Diego, will travel to the Philippines and bring medical help to those injured in the storm.
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USNS Mercy is a floating hospital staffed by military doctors and corpsmen. The Mercy makes scheduled visits to Southeast Asia every two years.
A Navy spokeswoman told NBC 7 that it will take at least five days for the hospital ship to prepare to leave. A departure date has not been announced.
After making stops along the way, the Mercy is expected to arrive in the disaster zone in late December. There will still be plenty of work to do, including orthopedic surgeries and long-term care.
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The Navy tweeted at 4 p.m. PT Wednesday that USS Lassen and USS Mustin have arrived in the area. Aircraft carrier USS George Washington, with 5,000 sailors aboard, could reach the islands by Thursday. USS Ashland and USS Germantown should be in the Philippines in about a week.
San Diego-based cruiser USS Cowpens has also been called to provide assistance.
