The city of Dallas opened a “mega-shelter” today at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for up to 5,000 Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees from Houston and the Gulf coast, the city announced.

Because it was a formal request from the state, the city will receive reimbursement funds from the state for the shelter’s costs, Dallas public information officer Corbin Rubinson said. Rubinson did not give an exact amount nor a timeframe of when reimbursements will be received.

The 2 million-square-foot  convention center will provide amenities to evacuees, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said in a press conference Tuesday morning. Rawlings likened the shelter to “a little city,” with a medical facility with on-call doctors offering medical services as needed.

“One of the things I’m pleased about here at this center and working with our hospital facilities is we got mental health workers as well,” Rawlings said. “I think that’s going to be critical because there’s going to be some counseling necessary, and people are going to be upset.”

The convention center will also have recreational activities, a pharmacy operated by Wal-Mart, and charging stations for electronic devices, Rawlings said. The city is prepared to maintain the shelter for as long as necessary, he said.

There are a few dozen police officers, from Dallas and nearby cities, present in and around the convention center for security, Rubinson said. The shelter offers cots, blankets, and food to those in need. Evacuees may also take showers in shower trailers parked near the convention center, Rubinson said.

Evacuees will arrive in Dallas once the flooded roads and highways leading in and out of Houston have become passable, Rawlings said. The state has said approximately 250 buses are ready to transport evacuees from disaster areas to Dallas and other cities where shelters have been arranged, but because the roadways are flooded, it’s not safe to travel yet, Rawlings said.

“They can’t get out of town,” he said. “Right now, [Houston] is a lake, and all the major arteries going in and out of that city are flooding, so we want them to be safe. They’re safe in [Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center]. It’ll be better when they can get up here, and there’ll be more space and we can help them. [City officials] will know when to let those people go.”

The state will inform the city how many evacuees to expect, but that number is currently unknown, Rubinson said.

Students who want to enroll will be transported to schools in Dallas ISD to attend classes, Rawlings said.

“If they’re grade school [students], they go to [John F. Kennedy Learning Center], if they’re middle school [they go to] A.W. Spence [Middle School], and high school [students], they go to North Dallas High School,” Rawlings said.

Dallas ISD also issued a press release, stating schools are immediately enrolling students staying with family, friends, in shelters, or in hotels, and students will not be turned away for any reason.

The Texas Education Agency has contacted the Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services department to assist with providing food, according to the school district’s press release.

People interested in making donations should drop off supplies at 15660 N. Dallas Parkway, which is open daily from 3 to 8 p.m., according to the press release. Nonprofit organization Trusted World will accept new underwear, new socks, new warmups, toiletries, hygiene products, and baby items such as wipes, formula, diapers, and bottles.

Volunteers may register online.

Dallas city departments, American Red Cross, Dallas County, Parkland Hospital, the Salvation Army, and Children’s Hospital are helping to set up this shelter, according to the press release.