MANILA: The United Nations on Tuesday began an appeal for almost a third of a billion dollars in aid to help people hit by the huge typhoon that raked the Philippines last week.

“We've just launched an action plan focusing on the areas of food, health, sanitation, shelter, debris removal and also protection of the most vulnerable with the government and I very much hope our donors will be generous,” humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters in Manila.

“That plan is for $301 million dollars.”

Amos praised the international community's reaction since Super Typhoon Haiyan struck on Friday, but said much more needed to be done to help people affected by a catastrophe the UN fears could already have cost 10,000 lives.

“We have already seen an international and generous response given the horrific pictures that people have seen, particularly on their television screens,” she said.

“We know that people are being helped now but we also know that given the scale of the disaster that ought to be continued.

“The action plan sets out what is needed across a number of different sectors.

“At this point in time it's extremely difficult even to get a sense of what the immediate needs are because it is very difficult to get to some of the areas affected.”