Del Monty, that's because zombies and loot only respawn on server start at the moment, and with Cherno being a popular city, despite it's size, it gets picked clean within an hour or so after restart. Try again on a server that's not been up as long, you'll have more luck finding stuff.
I tend to avoid Cherno and Elektro and search the smaller nearby towns for basic food, water and maybe medical supplies, then head to the military buildings either up north or in Cherno for a basic weapon, before going to the airfields for a bit of action.