‘Rising Waters’ documentary screening looks at challenges facing one Rhode Island town

KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 30, 2026 – The Rhode Island Sea Gran t, located at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, is hosting a free screening of “Rising Waters: What Climate Change Means for One Small Rhode Island Town,” a documentary created by students from Mount Hope High School in Warren, Rhode Island. The program is free and open to the public and builds on Sea Grant’s community-focused work in the historic East Bay town.

Tucked between the Warren, Barrington, and Palmer Rivers, URI researchers have been studying Warren for some time. The town sits just above the tide and is vulnerable to flooding from rising sea levels and storm events. The film builds on existing work and research happening in the Warren community, through community engagement and resilience projects, including an NSF-funded project led by Emi Uchida and Eliza Berry.

Rising Waters flyer — Rhode Island Sea Grant is hosting a free screening of “Rising Waters,” a documentary created by students from Mount Hope High School, followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers and URI researchers.

The film will be presented at URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Corless Auditorium, Watkins Lab, located at 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett. Attendees can enjoy pizza and other refreshments before the film at 6 p.m.; the film and discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Using student storytelling and community voices, “Rising Waters” explores how climate change and sea-level rise are affecting Warren’s vulnerable neighborhoods and sheds light on community concerns and local efforts to prepare for a changing coastline.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers and University researchers. URI will welcome film director Dennis Lynch with Uchida, Berry and Chris Russoniello, all part of RISCC — or Risks, Impacts, and Strategies for Coastal Communities — a URI-based research project examining flooding, groundwater impacts, economic consequences, and adaptation decisions in coastal communities, including Warren.

Following the screening, filmmakers and URI researchers will participate in a panel discussion co-moderated by URI MESM graduate student Nichole Nuttall.

This film presentation is free, but registration is required.

The lowest-lying town in Rhode Island, Warren is located at the confluence of three rivers and vulnerable to flooding and changing sea level rise.

Rhode Island Sea Grant helps Rhode Islanders by offering integrated research, extension, and education to provide the best available science and ensure community engagement across the Ocean State to build long-term, sustainable solutions for Rhode Island’s coastal and marine resources.

For more information on the film and to be added to the email list for future Sea Grant programs, visit R.I. Sea Grant or contact rhodeislandseagrant@gmail.com. Learn about MyCoast, which helps Warren and other Rhode Island communities track localized flooding through crowdsourced photosharing: https://mycoast.org/ri.