Members of the Chinese community in the US have stepped up to help victims and rebuild damaged areas after a severe earthquake struck Southwest China's Yunnan province earlier this month.

At the office of the Chinese Consulate General in New York on Wednesday, 24 Chinese organizations, one company and two individuals donated nearly $240,000 to the relief effort, including the Sino-American Friendship Association, Shanghai Association of America, Shaoxing Association of America, and Smart Apparel US, Inc.

Sun Guoxiang, the Chinese Consul General in New York, said to the representatives of donors: "You have all used your actions to prove the traditional qualities of the Chinese in caring for our own people….When your country needs you, when people that have been hit by disaster need you, you've all been the first to offer help and support."

Sun said what happened in Yunnan is very unlucky, but the people in Yunnan are lucky to have an expansive Chinese family.

The 6.5 magnitude earthquake on Aug 3 left 617 people dead and more than 3,000 injured. More than 12,000 houses collapsed and 30,000 were damaged. The epicenter occurred at Longtoushan township, 23 kilometers southwest of the county seat of Ludian.

Cheng Liping, president of the Shanghai Association of America, said: "Under these circumstances, we need to join together and spread our love to help the people in Yunnan recover faster from the disaster and return to a peaceful life."

Jack Chen, president of the Shaoxing Association of America, which donated $40,000, said:

"We hope for a speedy recovery for the people in Yunnan."

The earthquake was the strongest to hit the mountainous province in 14 years, according to CCTV. About 2,500 soldiers were deployed to search for survivors and 300 police and firefighters from Zhaotong and 400 emergency workers from across Yunnan province joined in the rescue operations. Premier Li Keqiang traveled to affected areas to oversee rescue and relief process. Continuous rain and landslides have damaged many roads in the region, creating transportation problems.

For China Daily

Chinese Consul General in New York Sun Guoxiang and representatives from the Hainan Club of New York, which made a donation to aid Yunnan earthquake relief efforts, at the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China on August 14. Elizabeth Wu / For China Daily