Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI)

The Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) is a non-profit organisation in the United States that brings roofing industry groups together to study how roofs perform in severe weather. Its website is ricowi.com.

Membership

RICOWI is supported by sponsor member organisations from across the building and roofing industry. Its sponsor members include:

• the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA);
• the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau;
• the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS);
• the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC);
• the Metal Construction Association and the Metal Building Manufacturers Association;
• the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI);
• the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance;
• the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance;
• National Women in Roofing, the Air Barrier Association of America and other groups.

Insurers and manufacturers also support its programs.

Investigation programs

RICOWI runs two field investigation programs:

• Wind Investigation Program. After hurricanes and major windstorms, RICOWI organises teams of trained volunteers, often consultants, manufacturers' technical staff, researchers and contractors, to inspect damaged and undamaged roofs. They record how different roof systems, edges, flashings and attachments performed.
• Hail Investigation Program. Similar teams study roofs after large hailstorms, documenting hail size and damage to different roof coverings.

Findings are published as reports and white papers. For example, RICOWI has published work on the performance of low-slope roofs in Hurricane Ian (2022) and reported on Hurricane Idalia (2023).

Why it matters

Field data from real storms help show which installation practices and products resist wind and hail, and where failures start, such as at roof edges or due to poor fastening. These findings inform building codes, manufacturers' instructions and programs such as IBHS's FORTIFIED standard.

Events

RICOWI holds seminars and meetings where investigation results are presented to the industry.

Related bodies

Comparable post-disaster investigations are also carried out by government agencies, insurers and research organisations in other countries, including building research institutes in Australia and New Zealand after cyclones and storms.