Residents and business owners in Ararat are speaking to their insurers about damage claims after severe winds on Tuesday night.

Houses, fences and buildings were damaged and power was lost in the McLellan Street area during the strong winds, described as a “micro burst”.

Ararat Mayor Ian Wilson says the damage bill could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Oh look, it would have to be in the tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.

“We are very fortunate that no-one had sustained personal injury, that’s our number one priority, we really think we were were extremely lucky there.

“When you look at the amount of debris that has been strewn across the community, I have no doubt, it will go into the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.”