why you need a travel agent

Why someone needs a travel agent.
while i was away for my annual, off season low price or free incentive vacation to Mexico  Oct  2005, i found myself stuck after hurricane Wilma decided to linger in Puerto Morelos for 3 days before it decided to leave and cause more havoc in Florida, i found the only people (including myself ) that had any recourse or support were those who had booked with a travel agent..
Email and even phones were out of order for several days and no commercial flights had been allowed to come in or out, without the aid of an air traffic control tower that was destroyed in the storm.
We were notified that my agency was flying down a rescue chartered jet for the clients who were stranded by the local representative .
The two people who booked on line who tried to return with us were not even allowed into the airport which was under martial law.
We were ordered almost in a military maneuver into lines of 10 at a time to positions in various areas  to board  THE only departure flight that day, as the rest of the day was requisitioned for arrivals of military cargo planes  with necessities for  recovery and repairs.
When we got to the runway the men couldn't suppress their cheers upon viewing the aircraft proudly displaying the name Hooters.
We were greeted at the airport by the agents and staff of the travel agency that handed out water and packages of food to all of the clients who were very aware and appreciative of the value then of the trip they had taken, and paid through a travel agency... i never found out how the dot com clients got home.