( CNN ) -- Several large circus tents previously used by Cirque du Soleil are on their way to Haiti to be used as a temporary headquarters for the Port-au-Prince government , according to the man donating them . The self-contained tents would replace government buildings destroyed a month ago by the devastating earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people , Nevada real estate developer Tom Schrade said Thursday . An urgent effort is under way to provide shelter for in Haiti , ahead of the rainy season expected to hit the island nation at the end of March . Much of the government is operating in small tents or cramped quarters in buildings that survived the January 12 earthquake . Schrade , who bought the tents after Cirque du Soleil retired them , said his wife got the idea to donate them while they were watching coverage of Haiti relief efforts . `` It seemed like a good thing to do , '' Schrade said . The tents have 33,000 square feet of interior floor space , including heating and air conditioning systems , interior and exterior lighting , toilets and 900 padded chairs , Schrade said . Thirteen steel shipping containers hold the 400,000 pounds of cargo , he said . `` Even the shipping containers can serve as apartments , '' Schrade said . After an aide to the Port-au-Prince mayor confirmed the government would welcome the tents , Schrade said he called Barron Hilton -- the son of Hilton hotel founder Conrad Hilton -- for help in getting them from storage in Reno , Nevada , to Haiti . The Conrad Hilton Foundation , already involved in Haiti relief projects , agreed to finance the shipment , he said . Gregory Anderson , the international project manager for the Hilton Foundation , confirmed its participation . The William J. Clinton Foundation -- the former U.S. president 's nonprofit group -- will coordinate getting the big tents to Port-au-Prince , he said . Full coverage of the earthquake 's aftermath . A convoy of tractor-trailer trucks left Reno Monday night with the tents bound for the port of Miami , Florida , he said . They 'll be loaded onto a ship chartered by the Clinton Foundation next week for the voyage to Port-au-Prince , he said . Technicians hired by Schrade will travel there to supervise the set up , he said . iReport : Looking for loved ones in Haiti . The tents , which initially cost about $ 5 million , were first used by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas a decade ago . They also spent time at a Myrtle Beach , South Carolina , theme park before Schrade bought them with the idea of using them at a Reno hotel , he said . The economic downturn derailed Schrade 's plan to use the tents at a hotel in Reno , he said . Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian-based traveling circus based on street performance art .
Tents previously used by Cirque du Soleil to be used as government headquarters . Government currently operating in small tents or cramped quarters . Nevada real estate developer Tom Schrade bought the tents to help in Haiti . Schrade said his wife got the idea to donate them while watching coverage of Haiti relief efforts .