NEW YORK -- Chinese Americans in New York are donating money to help flood-hit people in central China's Henan province to restore life and production.

So far, around 500,000 US dollars have been raised by various entities in New York, said Frank Zhang, president of Henan Chinese Associates U.S.A. Inc, a mutual support group for people with Henan origin.

A task force has been established to handle issues related to raising money for disaster relief in Henan with multiple Chinese American groups on board.

The task force alone is expected to raise 200,000 dollars by this weekend, Zhang told Xinhua on Saturday.

More than 200,000 masks were shipped from Henan to New York and handed out to Chinese Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Zhang.

"When we faced difficulties, we got help from Henan. Now, we should come forward and make our contributions to disaster relief in Henan," Zhang added.

More than 9.3 million people in Henan have been affected by recent heavy rains and floods. Over 1.1 million local residents have been relocated to safer places.