Turbulent seas long have created problems for Cape Hatteras, a long barrier island off the North Carolina coast that is home to the country's first national seashore. Pounding waves and storm surge related to hurricanes and nor'easters shifts beaches around, and even erase them. At Cape Hatteras, over the decades that has meant dune erosion and almost annual repairs to the highway that runs down the island. Against that, a plan has been approved to allow state and local governments to haul in sand from the seabed, when needed, to buttress the island against storms.

With Ocracoke Light at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in need of repairs due to storm damage, the National Park Service staff is debating how much effort and expense to put into that work, and is seeking public input on the matter.

Trying to gauge the deadliest national park can be a challenging task because of the many variables. But when you look at the death rate per park visitation, North Cascades National Park rises to the top, according to a Nevada law firm that took a close look at the numbers from 2007 to 2018.