Thousands of houses now taking on water....
“Take an axe...”
Right.
And pray to God that the structure of your roof is wimpy as Hell.
In rising water, you could EASILY die before you could hack your way out through 3/4” plywood and a layer of composition tile roofing with a hand axe. Ya might could make a hold big enough to breathe through, but big enough to crawl out through?? I’m not givin’ good odds on that proposition.
Thousands of houses now taking on water....
Think it is saver on roof. Winds are tropical now. And you are wet either way.
I’d be starting that hole by the time the water got to the floor of the attic. Having used axes and hatchets quite a bit, I’m SURE I could make a large enough hole to get out in under 20 minutes, through either 3/4” plywood, or OSB.
That said, I’d be more likely to use my cordless drill and cordless sabre saw, with a couple spare blades. Coarse metal cutting blades would be best in case a nail or two are hit. (Likely.) The hand axe, a really good & sharp one, would be a backup. I cut fairly large holes in 3/4 “ plywood, OSB, and high density particle board with a sabre saw all the time: Big enough to crawl through, even in a difficult situation — 5 minutes tops. But I realize, not that many people have cordless sabre saws.