Hurricane Florence, Rising Mortgage Rates Hurt US Homebuilding

Hurricane Florence, Rising Mortgage Rates Hurt US Homebuilding
Brian Morris looks at the debris from his home in the Stoney Creek Plantation neighborhood Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, in Leland, N.C. Many of the homes here were flooded through their bottom floors due to rains from Hurricane Florence. Ken Blevins /The Star-News/AP
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WASHINGTON—U.S. homebuilding dropped more than expected in September as construction activity in the South fell by the most in nearly three years, likely held down by Hurricane Florence.

Other details of the report published by the Commerce Department on Oct. 17 were also soft. Building permits declined to their lowest level in almost 1-1/2 years and homebuilding completions were the fewest since November 2017.