Now that Ron DeSantis is back home doing the job to which he was elected, it is time tp take the Florida governor’s warning with utmost seriousness.

OK, so the Republican governor didn’t fare well as a candidate for his party’s presidential nomination. However, with Hurricane Helene bearing down on his state, Gov. DeSantis has informed his constituents that they are facing almost certain death if they try to ride out the storm surge that is coming their way.

My overarching issue at this moment is this: Where do you go and how do you get there?

As I watch Floridians and other coastal residents deal with the increasing frequency and ferocity of these storms, all I am left to do is pray for their safety and hope for all I can muster that they are able to get out of the path of the surge.

DeSantis says the Gulf tide might swell by 20 feet — or more — as Hurricane Helene heads for landfall. It has been called a Category 4 hurricane, which is about as horrific as it gets.

I now must wonder aloud whether the governor is having second thoughts about the way he dismissed climate change while he campaigned for the presidency. My view from North Texas? It’s real, governor.

I am going to set that debate aside for another time and simply join the rest of the nation in wishing you and your constituents well as you fight this seaborne monster.