POOR SOD: Nobody got soaked by the...

POOR SOD: Nobody got soaked by the rains quite like Bud vom Cleff.. . . Tuesday’s flooding damaged about 50 acres of his sod farm in the Sepulveda Basin, costing him about $600,000. And it wasn’t the first time. In 1992, flooding there destroyed $1.5 million of Vom Cleff’s crops. “I didn’t think it would happen again,” he said. “I’m just a gambler, I guess.”

PLAN AHEAD: Think it’s too late to buy flood insurance? Think again. . . . Even in the midst of severe rains, flood insurance is being sold by the federal government. One catch: It takes five days to process the application. The payoff can be worth it, however: Those who applied for insurance last week probably are covered this week (D1).

SOGGY SALVATION: The Salvation Army opened two area shelters for rain and flood victims. . . . Food, beverages and blankets will be provided. Both the Van Nuys site, at 14917 Victory Blvd., and the Lancaster location, at 45001 Beach Ave., will be open indefinitely. For more information, call (800) 725-9005. Other services: B2.

SURF’S UP: Who needs the ocean? . . . One man in his 20s went surfing in a Santa Clarita creek Tuesday, drawing the ire of sheriff’s deputies called to the scene in a helicopter. “You don’t want to know exactly what I said,” said Deputy Mark Cohen, who warned the surfer away from the swollen creek. “I just told him to get out of there. It’s unsafe to be in that water.”

EXCUSES, EXCUSES: A lot of people missed work because of the rain, but few bosses heard better excuses than Canoga Jeep/Eagle general manager Mark Sherman. . . . One salesman stayed home to scoop the mud from his Topanga home. Another was late because the rain “aggravated an old knee injury.” . . . But the best excuse came from a salesman in Woodland Hills, where the storm knocked a tree onto his driveway, boxing in his car and sending him off to find a chain saw. “I’ve been here 12 years, so I’ve heard quite a few excuses,” Sherman said. “This time, I believe them all.”