OPRAH WINFREY - ROBERTS HUGS HURRICANE SURVIVORS

PRETTY WOMAN JULIA ROBERTS turned into a mercy lady in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this week (beg05SEP05) when she took two truckloads of gifts to a shelter housing hurricane victims.

The actress chatted to angry, grieving and devastated people attempting to piece their lives back together after the disaster and offered hugs and hope to as many people as possible.

Roberts, who was part of pal OPRAH WINFREY's Angel Network TV special, admits she was left shaken by the experience, but glad she made the effort.

She says, "It's amazing what can happen if you just put your arm around somebody. It's the truest thing and the simplest thing that does the most good a lot of times and I hope that we can all just reach out to each other."