Cash began to flow again for residents of typhoon-ravaged Tacloban on Tuesday (November 19), after some banking services resumed operations for the first time since super Typhoon Haiyan destroyed much of the city.

Mains electricity was still down across Tacloban, and most banks remain closed behind piles of debris.

However, on Tuesday one bank reopened a single ATM machine, powered by a generator and hooked up to a satellite dish, to kickstart the local cash flow.

One woman said they needed money in order to start planning for the future.

"So I have to rebuild my house so we can transfer from the evacuation centre to our house. That is why we need, really we need, we need, I need money," said local mother-of-one Lorna Gerilla after withdrawing money from the machine.

The bank has also dispatched two mobile ATMs to roam across the city's evacuee centres and administrative hubs. They were scheduled to begin operations late on Tuesday. The units will be joined by another pair of mobile teller machines next week.

Authorities estimate at least 3,900 people were killed when Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 8 and the sea surged ashore.

Presented by Adam Justice