Weather Radios Flying Off The Shelves After Tornadoes
GLENVIEW, Ill. (CBS) -- Retailers are working hard to keep weather radios in stock, after tornadoes devastated parts of downstate Illinois and other Midwest locations last week.
As WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports, Abt Appliance in Glenview says serious weather this spring has reminded buyers they could use some advance warning of troubles ahead with automatic alerts over dedicated weather radios.
"Heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes, all that stuff – we sold quite a few over the weekend online, for rural locations," said electronics buyer Mark Sasicki.
Sasicki says rural residents often find local stores sold out of automatic alert weather radios.
"When you go into a small town, chances are that there's a store there that will sell a weather radio, but they're not going to stock 30, 40, 50, or 60, you know, units. They don't have that kind of inventory available," Sasicki said. "So when your local retail runs out, what do you do? You go online and search for it."
Sasicki says buyers cleaned out weather radios on Abt shelves over the weekend and placed orders for more, which will be arriving Friday.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports
