OCEAN SHORES, Grays Harbor County — When an earthquake off the California coast triggered a tsunami warning June 14, an alert system in this coastal city was never activated because a faulty phone line failed to relay the message to several coastal areas.

Instead of a siren and a recorded message telling residents to evacuate, the All-Hazard Alert Broadcasting (AHAB) system on the beach stood silent.

"We generated the warning from Camp Murray within two minutes," Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, director of the state's emergency-management division, said yesterday. "But it was that mechanical system in the land line that resulted in that warning not being retransmitted to stations in the Olympic Peninsula."

While a tsunami never materialized, the warning showed the glitches in the system, something officials say was a wake-up call for the state's emergency-preparedness network.

Gov. Christine Gregoire yesterday announced a plan to ensure coastal residents have time to reach higher ground in case an earthquake triggers a potentially deadly wave.

"We hope we will never have to use this system," she said, speaking at the Shilo Inn Suites Ocean Front Hotel. "But we must be prepared."

Gregoire said much of the work will be done in coordination with federal plans for tsunami preparedness, but she added she will seek federal funds and money from the Legislature next year to install additional AHAB systems along the coast.

Lowenberg said that while two more structures are already being installed, an additional 90 are required for full coastal protection.

Other improvements Gregoire wants include:

• Asking the federal government for additional tsunami-monitoring buoys to help monitor off the state's coast and working with Oregon and California to ensure additional buoys are placed along the West Coast.

• A coordinated response among all levels of government, including tribal governments, ensuring what Gregoire calls "one system in one state with one message."

• An improved public-education campaign.

• Improved evacuation routes, including access to private roads on higher ground.

• Better building standards, something lawmakers say they will address in the 2006 legislative session.

Lowenberg said several improvements have already been made since June, including ensuring there are additional backup phone circuits to relay warnings in case one malfunctions.

Other backups include a new antenna installed at the National Weather Service office in Portland and new equipment installed with the Coast Guard for better coverage.

Also, equipment for a remote on-air monitoring program was installed at the National Weather Service in Seattle and will be tested Sept. 14. That system will transmit tsunami warnings to all alert transmitter sites.

Tsunamis are caused by undersea disturbances, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The destructive waves can reach coastlines thousands of miles away.

A 1964 earthquake in Alaska caused damage on coastlines as far south as Oregon and California, killing three Oregon campers.

A lack of good warning systems likely contributed to the destruction caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami, which killed more than 176,000 people in 11 countries around the Indian Ocean and left about 50,000 missing.