TODD, North Carolina — From the outset, the tiny mountain village of Todd, tucked alongside the south fork of the New River in the deeply rural, far northwest corner of North Carolina, presents a scene of devastation. Livelihoods have been swept away, and much of the town — home to about  2,400 persons in the woods surrounding the village — is without running water or electricity. Last Friday, Hurricane Helene unleashed the worst flash flooding in a century across parts of North Carolina and neighboring states. In Todd, rainfall exceeded two feet and the usually placid New River surged, turning roads into streams and leaving many residents isolated for days as debris choked the few narrow routes that connect the village to the outside world.