The storm overnight picked up speed and intensity, and a decision was made that in order to return to Washington to monitor and oversee the efforts to prepare for the storm and respond to it, that we needed to leave earlier than planned.
The president has pulled out of a Monday event in Ohio - considered a key swing state - in order to return to Washington to monitor the storm - although he is still set to attend a rally with former President Bill Clinton in Florida earlier in the day.
The South African president said that the G8 had shown commitment towards Nepad, the development programme for Africa in which rich countries promise more aid and investment in return for efforts by African leaders to raise standards of government and monitor each other's performance.