Oh gosh...been there, done that...BIG TIME
I used to have a kitchen tap that would start dripping about 10 minutes after turning off, so I got very good at double checking it. Until one morning I left for work assuming all was ok. I came home to a completely flooded downstairs. A j cloth had fallen into the sink. It was Christmas eve, and I was completely alone as my dd and her partner had gone to Australia to live for a year. As I sat on the stairs and bawled my eyes out, a workmate called to invite me over for Christmas eve. She and her husband helped me bail out and clean up. Me and the dog stayed at theirs over night.
Instead of towels, I've found it a good idea to have on hand those yellow cloths that soak up 10x their weight in water. Very useful. I'm glad your all clean and dry now.