This probably seems very weird from the perspective of someone living in Europe, where roofs are made from concrete shingles or tile and can last 100+ years. Do Europeans have more resilient roofs because they have more hailstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes? No. Actually they have less roof-damaging weather. I can only conclude the difference is a matter of mentality and economics. The mentality is "Why TF would I work hard to build a nice house and then roof it with trash?" and the economics is of a place that taxes oil-based products heavily. The American mentality, OTOH is "how can I build this box more cheaply so I can sell it for more profit?" and the economics are driven by, ironically, insurance companies wanting to fulfill their claims obligations as cheaply as possible.