Jiangzhou has a population of about 40,000, but many people are working and studying elsewhere. The letter asked people between the ages of 18 and 60 to come home to fight the flood.

On Saturday, Xu contacted the officials at Hougeng village where she was born and volunteered to help.

As soon as she arrived at the village on Sunday morning, she was sent to the dike to fill sandbags used to reinforce the structure guarding the township.

"There is no time to waste, and every pair of hands counts," she said.

The ferry Xu took to the village was packed. Many people came back to ensure the safety of their older family members while many others returned to fight the flood, Xu said.

An average of 1,000 people have returned to join flood control work every day since the letter was published, Luo Yun, Party chief of the Jiangzhou water resource commission, told CCTV on Sunday.

By Monday morning, the water level of the Yangtze River in Jiangzhou had surpassed the warning level by 3.3 meters, and the situation is growing worse. Children and older residents are required to evacuate the island, the local flood control authority said on Monday.

Meanwhile, more than 650 troops from the People's Liberation Army and armed police officers have arrived in Jiangzhou to help fight the flood, the authority said.

As Xu continued her work on Sunday afternoon, the PLA troops appeared on the dam.

"With them by our side, I am quite confident that Jiangzhou and Jiangzhou people can beat the flood," she said.