This document discusses the administrative capacity challenges faced by municipal governments in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It finds that the tsunami heavily damaged municipalities faced a dramatic increase in reconstruction budgets and need for public servants, especially civil engineers. However, securing sufficient public servants was difficult due to shortages. Municipalities relied primarily on dispatching public servants from other areas and fixed-term recruitment. Over 950 public servants were dispatched, compared to around 290 recruited. Despite these efforts, staffing shortages remained a challenge, particularly for engineering roles critical to reconstruction procurement. The experiences provide lessons for preparing administrative capacity in future large-scale disasters.