thrashed

We have rough cedar siding that has been through 3 floods now in 23 years (two in the past two years, the woods gone soft but insurance doesn't want to replace). So we were shopping for options last year and thought Hardie would be the best option but a Hardie siding dealer actually told us NOT to do Hardiplank for our situation.
They said the cuts and nail holes penetrate the laminate (especially if the installer isn't an expert at preventing that) and if not handled carefully enough, flexing also weakens the laminate, and cracks/holes/cuts in the laminate allow water to soak into the fiberboard. They said it would literally crumble if it sits in a flood.