Cut the red tape!

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“There needs to be a clear understanding of what you are purchasing versus what you believe you are purchasing,” she said. “I think that everyone, from the federal government to the broker who gets the commission check each month, needs to be accountable.”

In addition to the red tape display, Kinsley wrote a letter to Obama, asking him to listen to the stories of people in areas like Long Beach.

“Mr. President, I am embarrassed to be an American citizen tonight,” Kinsley wrote. “I am ashamed to have to tell my children we cannot go home because we were robbed by the federal government and the way it writes its flood policies.”

For the time being, Kinsley and her family have moved into an apartment just half a mile from their home. The small, second-floor dwelling — above a liquor store and a bar — is a squeeze for Kinsley, her partner, two young children and four dogs. It is in a noisy area that is a less than ideal environment for her children. But she says she considers herself lucky that they found somewhere in Long Beach to stay while their insurance battle goes on.

“I’m working as hard as I can to rebuild my home so that my 3-year-old son stops crying, ‘I want to go home,’” Kinsley said. “It’s hard to rationalize with a 3-year-old and a 6-year old that it will eventually happen.”

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