Flood damage and the moisture cascade

Floodwater is the start, not the damage: wicked drywall, swollen floors, and mold inside two weeks if drying is slow. This thread tracks the cascade after water events — what gets torn out, what can be dried and proven dry, and how you document moisture readings so a later inspection sees a closed story.

Drywall lies about water: the surface can feel dry while the cavity behind it is still wet enough to grow a problem you will meet at the next inspection. Readings, logged with dates and locations, are what separate 'we dried it' from 'we can show it dried.' The tear-out decisions are judgment calls, but they should be made from numbers, not optimism. After a water event, how do you prove a space is dry — meter readings, photos, a vendor report — and how long does drying actually take on your jobs?