Hail Investigation Program
RICOWI's Board of Directors approved a Hail Investigation Program (HIP) that is similar to the existing Wind (hurricane) Investigation Program (WIP). Based on the success of the first investigation, a second hail investigation is planned for 2008-09 in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area. New to the investigation program this year is the introduction of hail pads that will be installed on facilities and residences in the target area. Colorado State University CSU) operates the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), which is a ow-cost approach to hail monitoring and research. Following an event, the hail pads will be collected and sent to CSU for analysis. The results will be incorporated into the formal hail investigation report, which will continue to provide educational materials for roofing professions to design hail-resistant roofing systems.
Hail Investigation Program Mission Statement
To investigate the field performance of roofing assemblies after major hailstorm events;
To factually describe roof assembly performance and modes of damage;
To formally report the results for substantiated hail events.
Background
The Program was launched during the spring of 2004. The investigation teams are comprised of three persons each drawing from a pool of engineers, roof consultants, roof materials manufacturers, roofing industry representatives, property insurance representatives, and other interested parties. Fifty-seven people were trained at the workshop held in Tampa, FL last spring. HIP is funded by RICOWI through an assessment of its participating Sponsor Members and voluntary contributions from Affiliate Members and other interested industry organizations, including a grant from the RCI Foundation.
RICOWI deployed four teams to Oklahoma City to conduct field investigations of roof damage after the April 21, 2004 Oklahoma City hailstorm was declared a "catastrophe" by the insurance industry. Two flat roof and two steep roof teams conducted investigations on approximately 100 roofs in the communities of Yukon, northern Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, and The Village. The Hail Investigation Program (HIP) is the first industry wide research program ever conducted to assess field damage from a major hailstorm in the United States.
The Daily Oklahoman and local TV stations assisted the investigation by publishing the request for building owners to volunteer their roofs for inspection.
The final Oklahoma City hailstorm report was released at the RICOWI roofing seminar on October 12, 2005 in Norman, OK, and is available for download.
Mobilization Criteria
An event is identified as a hailstorm with hail stones greater than 1.5" in diameter causing significant damage covering an area of 5 square miles or more on one of the targeted areas.
During the investigation, we will also have a team look at areas where the hail size ranges from .5 to 1.5" in diameter to help identify the threshold hailstorm size for various roofing products and identify any minor damages that could occur.
How Can You Participate?
We are looking for volunteers for HIP 2024 participation.
Participation in this investigation is a major commitment of time and must be seriously considered, as we expect each team member to take an active role from deployment through execution of the report. A team captain will be appointed and will assume responsibility to assign team positions i.e., report writer, photographer and data recorder (includes sample collecting where possible).
Team investigators are required to cover their out-of-pocket expenses and commit five days to this investigation:
- Day 1 – travel, half day training refresher;
- Days 2, 3, & 4 – field investigations;
- Day 5 – debrief, finish reports, return home.
Questions About Volunteering?
John GimpleHail Committee Chair
gimpleroof@qwestoffice.net Jordan Loudon
RICOWI Executive Director
- P.O. Box 223220
Princeville HI 96722 - jlemke@ricowi.com
- (808) 421-8392
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RICOWI is an International Roofing Conference Education Partner
RICOWI is an International Roofing Conference Education Partner
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