Infosys Foundation Builds Houses to Rehabilitate Communities Affected by Cyclone Hudhud that Struck Andhra Pradesh in 2014

July 23, 2016: HudHud, a very severe tropical cyclonic storm, wreaked havoc when it made landfall in Vishakhapatnam coast, and left a trail of devastation in its wake in Eastern India. Among the many towns and villages impacted, Pudimadaka in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh State - a coastal village where the residents are mostly fisher-folk - was among the worst hit. Several families in this area lost their homes to the cyclone and have been in need of rehabilitation.

In conjunction with the State Government, Infosys Foundation took up the task of helping these families by taking on the responsibility of constructing new houses for them as a step towards helping them rebuild their displaced lives. In a novel public-private partnership model proposed by the Chief Minister, the Foundation undertook the construction of 200 houses, while the Government took the responsibility to establish the required infrastructure, including water, electricity and sewage for the affected area.

With the construction formally starting in April 2015, three blocks were completed in six months, and the remaining three took another two months. All the six blocks comprising of 200 units were ready in December 2015 for handover to the beneficiaries. The official handover of a residential enclave to families that were rendered homeless took place in the presence of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Chandrababu Naidu, on July 23, 2016 at the site in Pudimadaka.

Speaking about the need for rehabilitation of victims of natural disasters, Sudha Murty, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation said, “Natural calamities have an overwhelming capacity of affecting the social and economic development of a region. Often it is the poor and the underprivileged who are deeply impacted by it. The aftermath of cyclone HudHud at Pudimadaka is one such evident case. In the wake of this crisis, we were glad to partner with the Andhra Pradesh Government, to provide the victims with an opportunity to re-stabilize their livelihood by the construction of houses.”