President Barack Obama spoke to Philippine President Benigno Aquino Tuesday to express sorrow for the destruction left by Typhoon Haiyan and to coordinate US help.

Obama expressed America's "deep condolences for the lives lost and the damage caused" by the storm that is feared to have killed more than 10,000 people, his spokesman Jay Carney said.

The president had ordered his administration to mount a "swift and coordinated response to save lives and provide assistance to alleviate suffering," Carney told reporters.

He said the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and several escort ships had been dispatched to the Philippines.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) was managing the American response, including food aid, and US armed forces were providing search and rescue operations and medical assistance, he added.

"In the days ahead the United States will continue to work in the Philippines to deliver whatever help we can," Carney said.