Germany’s central bank says it has been received more than €50 million worth of damaged banknotes after deadly floods in July.
ADVERTISEMENTGermany's central bank says it has received more than €50 million euros following July's deadly floods.
The Bundesbank said Wednesday that they have been inundated with citizens who have handed in notes that were soaked in floodwater or contaminated with oil, sewage, and mud.
The bank said that they usually receive damaged bills worth around €40 million per year.
The damaged money is dried, processed, and then destroyed at a centre in Mainz that analyzes forged and damaged money, the authority added.
German citizens who hand in the damaged notes are also refunded without charge.
This year, the centre has received €51 million worth of notes from the flood-hit areas in western Germany between mid-July and the end of August.
The Bundesbank said it bought dryers to deal with the influx of dirty money, noting that it's important to process soaked notes quickly before they clump together and becomes as hard as concrete.
More than 180 people died in Germany and hundreds more were injured in the floods, which also claimed lives in neighboring Belgium.
Heavy rainfall turned small streams into raging torrents, sweeping away houses, bridges, and cars.