People swept dirt from the pews and wiped clean the mud-covered, ornate tile floors of a church. The sound of hammers hitting nails and the buzzing of chain saws reverberated in the streets. Debris was piled on corners and set ablaze.

Japan is preparing to send as many as 1,000 troops to the storm-ravaged Philippines, and naval vessels and aircraft in what could be Tokyo's biggest postwar military deployment.

International effort picked up pace yesterday, with helicopters buzzing back and forth between Tacloban and the USS George Washington's carrier group, delivering crates of food.

Scores of unidentified bodies were interred together in a hillside cemetery without any ritual - the first mass burial in this city shattered by last week's Typhoon Haiyan.

Close your eyes and hold your breath, and you could imagine you are in a normal sports stadium. You hear a ball bouncing and the children's cheers echoing under the cavernous dome.

A street appeal and an open air concert are planned for next week in a bid to raise money for the typhoon stricken Philippines.

A combination of unlucky geography, poverty, poor government and widespread gun use have exacerbated the effects of Typhoon Haiyan.

Relief operations in the typhoon-devastated Tacloban region picked up pace yesterday.

Walking with just one broken rubber flip-flop, Marcel Stutz, a farmer, led his young children and wife past putrefying corpses down an avenue that would take them to the airport and to safety.

NZ will send an air force Hercules to help in the storm-hit Philippines, but Prime Minister John Key's official visit to Manila next week has been postponed.

Food, water and medical aid has been sent to the Philippines - but few in the worst-hit areas are receiving any help.

A relief worker on the ground in the Philippines has described nightmarish scenes, but says the Filipino people are being resilient through the crisis.

Misery united Parliament yesterday - until politics intervened, writes Audrey Young on Greens co-leader Russel Norman's climate change speech.

From a music marathon to food and garage sales, local Filipino community groups are rallying to raise funds for victims affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

The Government has given a further $2 million to help the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

The United Nations was "expecting the worst'' over the final body count from Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the Philippines killing tens of thousands.

At least 10,000 have been killed in one Philippine city alone following Typhoon Haiyan, with officials warning desperate people are looting just to stay alive.

While Typhoon Haiyan appears to be the deadliest natural disaster on record to hit the Philippines, the country is no stranger to major storms.

"We did everything but we can't reach anyone." Many Kiwis are facing an anxious wait for news from loved ones.

Governments and agencies are mounting a major relief effort to help victims of the Philippines typhoon.

Terrified workers at one of the Philippines' major airports described how they were forced to climb out of windows to escape being killed as the strongest typhoon in history swept across their nation and claimed the lives of up to 10,000 people.

As many as 10,000 people are believed dead in one Philippine city alone after one of the worst storms ever recorded unleashed ferocious winds and giant waves that washed away homes and schools.

New Zealand has contributed $150,000 towards relief efforts in the typhoon-ravaged Philippines and more support could be on its way.