Trump told the mayor of a disappearing island not to worry about sea level rise - these photos show how grave the situation has become

Twelve miles from either coast of the Chesapeake Bay sits a small island in danger of disappearing.

Tangier Island, Virginia, is one of the most isolated and extraordinary places in the continental US. But the island sits just 4 feet or so above sea level, and a 2015 report suggests that little of it will be left 50 years from now.

President Trump, however, disagrees. The Daily Times of Salisbury, Maryland reports that after Trump saw a CNN report about Tangier Island, the president called Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge to tell him he shouldn't worry about sea level rise.

"He said, 'Your island has been there for hundreds of years, and I believe your island will be there for hundreds more,'" Eskridge told the Daily Times.

But Business Insider photographer Christian Storm visited Tangier Island in 2014, and his photos show how serious the the problem has become there.

Storm wrote a previous version of this story.