The CERI Wind Damage Assessment was developed to estimate the damage to residential structures from storm winds based on the FEMA HAZUS hurricane wind assessment method. The method requires an estimate of the wind gust speed, residential structure type and associated roof characteristics, and the roughness of the ground surface in the vicinity of the structure. 

The damage estimates are based on the FEMA HAZUS wind damage curves for the structure/roof type for the building of interest, with the six most common structure types: 
1 - 1 story, wood frame, gable roof with straps and 8d nails 
2 - 1 story, wood frame, hip roof with straps and 8d nails 
3 - 2 story, wood frame, gable roof without straps and 6d nails
4 - 2 story, wood frame, hip roof without straps and 6d nails 
5 - 2 story wood frame, gable roof with straps and 6d nails
6 - 2 story, wood frame, hip roof with traps and 6d nails.

The surface roughness is based on the land use - land cover (LULC) characteristics, for residential properties (LULC# 111-115) and the density of residential structures in the immediate vicinity of the structure of interest (low to moderate density, roughness = 0.35 and high density, roughness – 0.53).  The LULC 2020 maps are available via the RI GIS for the state of RI and included as background for the CERI wind damage maps.  The model then estimates the probability for each damage state (1 - minor, 2 - moderate, 3 - severe, and 4 – destruction (more than 50%))
 

References

• ASCE Hazard Tool
• HAZUS-MH hurricane model methodology. II: Damage and loss estimation
• FEMA HAZUS Hurricane Wind Methodology.
• Land Use and Land Cover (2020) | RIGIS
• US ACE, National Structure Inventory (data inventory)