UNC Wilmington.

• Position: University of North Carolina economists revise forecast - Brief Article

Bad weather has caused two UNC Wilmington economists to cut in half their forecast far real economic growth this year in southeastern North Carolina. After analyzing the impact of hurricanes and tropical storms that have lashed the Cope Fear coast since 1996, Claude Farrell and William W. Hall Jr. revised their forecast from 7% to 3.5%. They found economic activity had surged from repairs and rebuilding after Arthur, Bertha and Fran struck in '96, the first time in more than a decode the region suffered major damage from big storms. It won't get that kind of boost from last year's -- Dennis, Floyd and Irene -- because counties inland were hit harder. But the damage and flooding made their...