Mr.Obama made the announcement at a school on the island of Martha's Vineyard,Massachusetts, where he and his family are spending the week on vacation.
VOA: standard.2009.08.25
Some volunteers add on a week's vacation and then deduct a prorated part of the airfare.
And politicians in India, often cursed by their constituents for flocking to disasters to show their concern, compare rather well with a US president whose first big gesture after Katrina's damage became evident is to cut a five-week vacation short by two days to give the matter his full attention.