In my misspent youth, one of the pastimes of the reckless was to SCUBA in the houses that were inundated when Lake Lanier was filled. Kick up some silt with your swimfins, you had no idea where you were, let alone where the window was. We used lead lines.
Sometimes I wonder how we survived our teenage years.
It was not a good idea to get into the attic in the first place, unless it had a gable window. But I think folks were astounded at how quickly the water rose.
Bret Favre's mother stated that her first floor was completely under in 5 to 10 minutes. One can imagine the mindset in that situation. When it was 2 feet high many probably thought, well it wont get much higher. Then it was 4 feet high heading to 5 feet and you would be forced to make a decision. Leave the house or head to the second floor or attic. If you decided to head up into the attic cause it wont rise much more, you could then find yourself in the panic mode. Too late to swim out of the attic.