‘I have feelings for the trees’: Typhoon Mangkhut aftermath sparks bizarre harvest as Hongkongers saw off and collect fallen camphor bits

Instead, residents near Tak Shing Street in Jordan were intent on collecting souvenirs from the two toppled camphor trees, which were among some 1,500 that did not survive Mangkhut’s wrath.

The unusual scene was sparked by the sentimental value of the aged trees, and their fragrant wood which served as a natural insect repellent. The bizarre post-storm harvest lasted until police arrived and shut down the area in the late afternoon.

Preschool teacher Valeria Chan, who was off because classes for children were suspended amid the traffic disruption, was among those wanting a piece of the trees. She managed to collect wood chips with her mother, saying putting them in wardrobes would ward off insects such as cockroaches.

“It smells really good,” Chan said. “A lot of people had their own saws. So they were sawing the wood. Some of them even had electric ones.”

Sisters Joanne Cheung and Sandra Cheung, who grew up in the area and have lived there for more than 40 years, were among other residents who turned up.