Rep Power: 0

Hi all. I joined because there seems to be a lot of helpful advice floating around this forum and I'm hoping maybe I can find some as well...or even better maybe someone who has had a similar issue occur with their car.
The other day it rained for about 4-5 hours and during that time I wasn't home and had no idea I had left my driver-side window down. The next day when I went to try and leave in the car, as I was cranking it, rather than trying to turnover, (turning the Ignition/key to the ON position seemingly everything was just fine, i.e. the usual chimes/dash lights and such we're all working fine as well as the dome light from the door being open) but as soon as it got the last turn to try and start, I heard what sounded like a fuse blowing or a wire shorting, very briefly, and ALL the power died. I tried a couple more times to turn the engine over and I was now getting absolutely no lights, nothing on the dash lit up, no chime, etc...the car seemed to be completely dead. I sat in the car for a couple of minutes to see if I smelled any burning or anything noticable and to try and start the car again after a couple of minutes passed. Fortunately, don't know that it matters but I didn't smell anything at all however the car stayed dead...until about 2 days later when I was told that my brake lights were on despite no one being in the car since a couple of days prior. I went out to turn off the brake lights just to find that there was no reason they shouldv'e been on...the lights were off and the key wasn't in the car at all. So I put the key in the ignition and tried to turn it over again and just like the first time, all my dash lights had returned and the chiming as well but as soon as I got to that last turn of the key to start it, everything died. To avoid any damage and try and keep the battery in decent condition, since I don't have enough knowledge about automobile repair or even electronics too, I disconnected the battery's neg post and I'm wondering if anyone else might concur with my current theory that perhaps all the rain that obviously got all over the steering column might have caused an electrical short with something between the driver side door panel and the steering column, which as far as I can tell is how far the rain got as far as the inside of the car goes. Are there any particular things anyone recommends I can check to help me in getting closer to formulating a good idea as far as what happened? Any advice at all would be appreciated. And thank you for taking time to read my question; I wish you all the best!
I outlined the area (in red) that was exposed to the rain for the couple of hours that it rained steadily and heavily that day.

Provided just to show body

 
Rep Power: 222

You need to dry out the wiring and fusebox. Then look for damaged wires and blown fuses. The interior fusebox also has some integrated relays, if they're damaged you have to replace the fusebox.