Sporadic looting and gun battles between gangs and police have become increasingly common in recent weeks as the shortages have led to mounting desperation.
The United States has offered new help to Haiti in combatting the Caribbean nation's spiralling security and health crises but made clear it was reluctant to send troops for a proposed international force.
Biden's administration pledged on Wednesday that more steps would be taken after the US imposed visa restrictions on Haitians blamed for unrest and that it is working with Mexico on a draft resolution for the UN Security Council that creates targeted sanctions.
At the request of the Haitian government, the US Coast Guard will also deploy one of its major cutters to patrol off the capital Port-au-Prince, the State Department said, describing the move as an "additional sign of resolve and support."
Brian Nichols, the top US diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, and Lieutenant General Andrew Croft, deputy commander of the US Southern Command, began two days in Port-au-Prince where they will meet Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other key stakeholders, the State Department added.
"We are sending a clear message that the United States will continue to support the Haitian people during this critical time," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
He said the United States was identifying Haitian officials and others involved in street gangs that have blocked humanitarian aid and would prevent them as well as their families from entering their giant neighbour to the north.
"Our intent in imposing these visa restrictions is to demonstrate that there are consequences for those instigating violence and unrest in the country," Blinken said.
State Department spokesperson Price said that the United States would also "accelerate" new humanitarian assistance, with officials noting that the aid would include cholera relief and fuel.
US in 'no mood' to send troops
An escalating cholera epidemic and the breakdown of law and order in Haiti, the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere, forced the government to ask for international aid on Friday.
Sporadic looting and gun battles between gangs and police have become increasingly common in recent weeks as the shortages have led to mounting desperation. Protests to demand interim PM Henry's resignation have at times devolved into looting.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for the immediate deployment of a special armed force, warning of a "dramatic deterioration in security."
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States was "reviewing this request in coordination with international partners."
But another US official indicated that Biden -- a frequent skeptic of troop deployments and who last year pulled all US soldiers out of Afghanistan -- was in no mood to send American forces to Haiti, which the United States controlled for nearly two decades a century ago.
"The question of security presence is obviously an area where we are treading very carefully to make sure that we are doing the right things and not doing the things that in the past have not worked," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"I think it's premature to really start thinking about whether the United States is going to have a physical presence inside of Haiti."
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