 There were initial difficulties in distributing aid to areas of southwestern Madagascar due to prevailing unsettled weather , along with fuel shortages . Workers used boats to rescue people in flooded areas . Members of the Madagascar Armed Forces , along with about 200 Red Cross volunteers , assisted in evacuations and aid distribution , and the Red Cross also provided free medical consultations to thousands of people . Following the storm , there were increased levels of malaria , dysentery , and childhood diarrhea in the area around Toliara , and there was a locust outbreak . Increased locust activity persisted into the summer , and had been occurring since late 2012 ; this caused continued food shortages , and by July the locusts were affecting about half of the country 's farmlands . To prevent further spreading of disease , officials provided vaccinations and sprayed insecticide . In isolated villages in southwestern Madagascar , residents faced food shortages , while in some areas , the water supply was contaminated . Within a few weeks of the storms , many residents whose dwellings were not destroyed were able to return to their homes . In Toliara , about 4 @,@ 000 students were initially unable to return to school due to being displaced . In the middle of March , 1 @,@ 948 displaced people stayed in a military camp or two schools , but most returned home by early April . Repairs to the dyke in Toliara began in early April , and were expected to take about a month and a half . 
