Wet carpet has never been an issue that I've ever seen. You could...

Bring in a carpet cleaning company. They can suck the water out of the carpet.

Buy a wet/dry vac that can do the same. These cost relatively little (on the order of $100.) I've used one for years on our carpet to clean up spills or dog related problems.

Set up some fans and/or a dehumidifier to dry it out.

A little water will not kill it. Yes, you want to dry it out before it gets moldy, but it won't take that much effort.

John

Thanks, John. I actually did pull corners (the wettest area) and then called a friendly flooring place and someone actually was there. He prescribed lots of air conditioning and fans, but came to the same conclusion as you-- probably this will be ok. I've been moving around the fans and in just three hours, drying is proceeding very nicely. Thanks for taking the time to respond -- and I think it might not be a bad idea to get one of those wet/dry vacs to have around anyhow. I hear they are very good for all sorts of projects, not just "emergencies."

Good to hear you sorted out the problem. The main thing to remember is that "wet goes to dry." In most jobs we attend as professional wet carpet restorers involve these steps

1. Extract water with carpet cleaning machine
2. Install air mover to blow air underneath between carpet and carpet underlay. (3 day dry down time on average). Use dehumidification if there is no negative air in room or humidity is high.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wet Carpet

Steam clean it. Then it will be the same wet all over.