You know, I would go ahead and file a dispute right NOW. You always have the option of closing it once you receive it in satisfactory condition. It doesn't necessarily mean that you're insensitive to the seller's dire situation, but you're covering your butt in this instance. So you can't worry about that, because I'm assuming you paid a lot of money for this bag, so the last thing you want to do, is get screwed.
I'm sorry, as horrible as her situation is with the hurricanes down there, it's not your problem. You want your item, right? It's been way too long considering how close FL is to NY.
File now.