Dear Tripped Up,

Our family home in the Bahamas was recently destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. Nobody lost their lives, but the physical damage was catastrophic and the emotional trauma is ongoing. I am writing on behalf of my parents, who live there full time.

Our family was scheduled to go on a trip of a lifetime and sail the Baltic Sea with Norwegian Cruise Line, but now those funds are needed to begin rebuilding. I have written to Norwegian and CheapCruises.com (where we purchased five cruise fares in full) asking for a refund. So far, my request has been denied.

Margo

Dear Margo,

When I received your email, on Sept. 15, American media reports about Dorian had subsided. By that point, the rain-slicked TV anchors had turned their cameras toward the next storm.

But your story has stayed with me. When I spoke with your mother by phone a couple of months ago, I learned that your parents waited out the storm in their cellar until the home they “thought had been built so well,” as she described it, finally gave way.