NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Weather experts are joining with social scientists, emergency managers and educators from across the country as part of an effort to improve the nation's resiliency to severe weather outbreaks.

Nearly 200 experts from a variety of fields participated in "Weather Ready Nation: A Vital Conversation." The three-day conference wrapped up Thursday at the National Weather Center in Norman.

Besides a wide range of weather experts and academics, participants included engineers and builders, psychologists and emergency managers from hard-hit communities like Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

According to figures from the National Weather Service, extreme weather in the United States this year has killed more than 1,000 people. There were more than a dozen weather disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damages.