Just before the mouth of the Geeste is a storm surge barrier beneath the Kennedy Bridge, which was completed in 1961 – just in time for the North Sea flood of 1962. Without the barrier part of Bremerhaven would have been flooded 'from behind' over the low dykes of the Geeste. An estimate of the flood damage which would have been caused if the Geeste barrier in Bremerhaven owned/built by EGA Essen had failed projected the number of inhabitants who would have been affected as 10,860 at a cost of about 1,837 million euros and probable flood damage of about 247 million euros. This roughly 250 million euros would probably not have been covered by insurance because the flooding would have been a consequence of a storm surge, which counts as an act of God.